Between Lies and Truth
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Lal has always suspected there was something different about her idiot student. She just couldn't have expected something like this. Not only is Colonello an English lord (twice over), but he's a war general running away from the source of his trauma. Love is a powerful thing, but can it be enough to heal the wounds caused by a magical war? Colonello-is-Harry.
1. Chapter 1

Colonello is many things.

He is cheerful blond with blue eyes. He is a damn good sniper that has uncanny instincts. He was a natural at being a soldier that could lead and yet still follow orders, the sort of man any general would kill to have on their side in a fight. He has a major love of predatory birds of all sorts and a hatred for rats that bores on the obsessive. He is always smiling, always there to lend a hand even when you were too stubborn to admit you need help. He is an unbreakable rock you could rely on that for some insane reason had a massive crush on the demonic trainer known as Lal Mirch.

 _It really was true that if you assume a lie long enough, it would eventually become the truth,_ he would think tiredly.

Colonello was in reality nothing like the image he portrayed himself as.

He wasn't some natural soldier. He hated being caged by circumstances outside his control. Yeah, it was probably genetic that he'd fall for the _one_ woman who wouldn't give him the time of day, especially since he was one of her students. But he didn't regret it.

He was so below her league and he damn well knew it. Unlike his father, Colonello was content to watch from afar and wish for something better, rather than piss her off and ruin his chances forever.

If and when he had the chance to spark something better, he would take it. But until then the war-torn blond trained his ass off to hell and back to be better than he was the day before.

It was so ingrained in him to be a soldier that he had no idea how to be anything else.

He allowed the Rain to fall and the clouds above to gather in large dark groups so that the sky would forever be hidden.

He never wanted to remember that part of his past.

That bright orange fire would forever stay drowned by the rain clouds, if he had anything to say about it.

Just as the scars he had acquired would never be seen under all the glamour charms he had on them.

He was Colonello, goofball Rain Latent and damn good sniper. A man who had a massive crush on his demonic trainer.

He would not be that man again. He would rather assume the pleasant lie until it became the truth first.

* * *

It was a stupid accident that never should have happened. Lal didn't see the hole and promptly twisted her ankle when she stepped in and proceeded to trip on the root right after it.

Now she fully expected to wave off her comrades and have to bind the ankle herself. It was only a mile or two away from the lake where they were setting up camp.

Except... Colonello, the idiot blond who clearly had a thing for her despite the hell she put him through in the name of training didn't go on. He pulled off his personal bag and started digging through it without any hesitation...only to pull out a very well stocked first aid kit.

Lal stared.

"What do you think you're doing, idiota? You're not a medic! I can handle this myself!"

Something in Colonello's eyes stopped her cold from hitting him.

Tired resignation and haunted eyes were not what she was used to seeing. Colonello was the sort of fool who brushed off the crappiest day with a smile and a stupid laugh, brightening the room without any problems at all. He took the hits and did so with a smile.

The Colonello she was used to did _not_ have the haunted gaze of a war veteran who had survived hell and back, still struggling to find peace within himself.

Lal was dead silent as Colonello expertly examined her ankle before pulling out some water-proof bandages and wrapping it with a deft hand that spoke of experience...a _lot_ of experience.

He said nothing, just wrapped up her foot to the point she could walk on it with minimal pain.

"Soak it in the lake for about thirty minutes... the bandages should be fine for that long and not chafe," he said with a tone that spoke of personal experience.

"Not going to give me anything for it?" she snarked, mostly to hide how rattled she was.

Colonello blinked.

"A sprained ankle isn't that bad. A cold soak and staying off it for a day or two and you won't even notice it unless you move too hard or too long," he commented.

Lal couldn't help but feel as though he was subtly calling her a wuss for asking for something as simple as an ibuprofen or Tylenol for the inevitable swelling. But that couldn't right.

"You're telling me that despite the crap I put you through you don't even carry something as basic as Advil or Tylenol in that medic kit you brought?" she said incredulous.

Colonello's baffled look said volumes.

"Isn't that just for headaches?" he asked very confused.

She stared at him.

"Advil and Tylenol can be used to reduce swelling, fevers and muscle pain. How do you not know that?"

Colonello rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"If it really bothers you I can carry you to the meeting spot," he offered.

Lal threw a nearby rock at him and he dodged with expert ease.

She tested her foot once she got up, and to her surprise she barely even noticed the mild swelling of the ankle. Her idiot student actually knew what he was doing when it came to basic first aid.

It was almost enough to make her forget the look in his eyes while he did it, or the way he felt...off.

Lal kept observing Colonello, who took the ribbing of the other men with practiced ease. Now that she was looking for it, she realized something she had never noticed before.

Everything about Colonello was fake. Not in a way that was obvious, but more like it was something you had to be clued into before you realized it was there.

He played the friendly idiot, yet he kept everyone at arm's distance in a subtle way. He laughed, but it was completely hollow. It was just genuine enough to avoid being noticed as fake, but if you were actually paying attention you could tell there was something...off about the sound.

How did that old saying go?

Assume the lie long enough and one day it would become the truth?

She couldn't really remember, but looking at Colonello sure as hell brought it to mind. She just couldn't prove it.

Her ears perked up when she heard her name, so she discreetly listened in. Odds were one of the idiots had noticed her, but Colonello hadn't.

"You mean to tell me you played doctor with the woman you've been crushing on for ages and didn't try to make a move? Are you gay or something?!" said Jake, incredulous.

Colonello blinked.

"Why would I want to make a move on her when I was bandaging her foot?" he asked slowly, as if talking to an idiot.

"Come on! It was the perfect opening!" said Jake.

"You actually think that would have worked? I seriously doubt she would have been impressed with something as easy as wrapping a twisted ankle so she could properly walk on it long enough to get to the camp site," said Colonello.

Lal almost snorted, because he was entirely right in that she wouldn't have been that impressed with it. If anything she would have hit him if he tried to woo her while wrapping her ankle.

Jake groaned in mock disgust.

"God, you're so unbelievably dense! It's so obvious you like her yet you've never even made a _single_ move on her!"

Colonello let out an almost hollow laugh at that. It was clear that the others _knew_ something was wrong with it, but couldn't put their finger on what.

"Did it ever occur to you that I'm not stupid enough to waste my time trying to woo a woman who's likely seen it all before and wasn't impressed by it? I'm so below her league it's not even funny, and it's obvious she wouldn't date a student," said Colonello flatly. There was a well hidden hint of bitterness as he said that, which had Lal frowning openly.

"Did she say something to you?" asked Jake with open concern.

He wasn't the only one frowning.

"She didn't need to. She's been a trainer for what, five, six years now? She's one of the rare females on the base and she's constantly around more impressive guys than me. Anything I could do to impress has likely already been done by someone else and the fact she's still single says she's more interested in her career than dating. I'm not going to waste my time I could spend training to be a better soldier trying to impress someone who isn't ready for it," said Colonello flatly. "If I wanted to actually try to court her, I'd have a better shot at doing it when I've gone up a few ranks enough that we could stand as equals, rather than as her student."

Lal had to admit he was right. She wouldn't look at a student like that, not in a hundred years. If he were a bit closer to her in rank, then he'd have a shot, but right now?

She wouldn't give him the time of day.

"...Talk about cynical," said Jake. "Just hearing that shit makes me depressed."

"Why not go out and sow your oats with someone else then?" asked Gregorio. Everyone called him Greg though.

"Because I've been burned by a bad relationship before and I'd rather be in it for the long haul than risk some cheap fling that will only bite me in the ass later," Colonello shot back.

"Oh-ho, and now we hit the root of the matter! So your ex dumped you or something?"

"More like I was feeling claustrophobic in a very toxic relationship I was pressured into by everyone and their grandmother and left without saying goodbye. I'm just lucky her brothers actually liked me enough to consider me family long before that, otherwise I'd really be in for it," commented Colonello.

"Brothers as in plural?" said Jake.

"Six of them, though one of them died and another was put into a coma. She was the youngest and only girl too...and they are all red-heads with damn good aim."

Seeing the collective wince, Colonello snickered.

"Six older brothers and you were insane enough to date their youngest sister? Their poor mother."

"You kidding? Her twin brothers offered me a place to hide when I pissed her off, rather than give me the standard 'hurt our sister and you're a dead man' speech. She was a real spit fire," said Colonello grinning.

"So why'd you break it off?"

"To sum up a very boring story, I took a long look at my life and realized I was stuck in a rut dating a girl who could have passed for a very terrifying copy of my mother, according to the few pictures I have of her and multiple sources all stating the same thing. I ditched home and signed up for the military the next week. Odds are she'll try to shoot me for leaving like I did, but there was no way I was going to get talked into staying in that relationship," said Colonello with a shudder. "Took me way too long to realize I saw her more as a little sister than as girlfriend material."

"That is disturbing on way too many levels," said Jake with a shudder.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I was best friends with her youngest older brother for so long that by the time we were old enough to do anything the only feelings I had for her were familial, rather than romantic. I doubt she'd take it well that I mostly used her as a shield against my fans without realizing it."

She might have been sympathetic if he had done it on purpose, but he had done it without realizing for three long years.

As it was he was almost certain to be hexed to hell and back if and when he returned.

Which was why he was going to train his ass off so he could avoid most of it, hopefully long enough to reach a safe bolt hole which had a convenient place to explain why he left. Or until she calmed down.

Colonello winced at the idea.

Yeah, he was far safer getting his ass handed to him in training rather than face the irate witch he left behind, never mind her able and willing cohorts that would almost certainly have _words_ for him that would leave him a cringing mess.

"Why do you even like her anyway?" asked Greg.

Colonello's grin swiftly changed from tired and worn to sappy.

"What's not to like about her? She's a strong, confident woman who takes no shit from anyone and isn't the sort to be impressed by something as stupid as a bloodline, money or fame."

"Dude, you have to have better standards. She barely has any tits to speak of and her ass is flat as a board!" said Jake.

Lal privately marked Jake for an extra hellish training session for that. He had it coming.

"Who cares about that? The more 'attractive' a girl is, the higher the chance she's a total bitch or has way too high standards. I'd rather have a challenge I know will be worth it in the end, if only because the odds of her being tempted by some pretty face are next to nill. Give me loyalty over looks or money any day," said Colonello dismissively. "At least with the captain I know she has an actual personality, even if she is prickly as hell when she's embarrassed."

Lal didn't realize she was blushing at that. The worst part was that she _knew_ in her heart he was being entirely honest. He really could care less about things most men found important.

* * *

 _Later that night_

Lal was going to soak her foot in the lake again. Her ankle hadn't swollen too much thanks to the prompt and surprisingly competent treatment (she was going to slate Colonello for medic training... she suspected he was far more skilled at battle field first aid than he had let on previously), but it still throbbed enough to be very annoying. So much so that she couldn't fall into a proper sleep at the moment.

Outside of those on night watch, she was the only one up. Or so she thought.

Hearing sounds of splashing that came from someone in the lake, she investigated.

And found Colonello taking what could only be a cold bath with no issue at all.

She would openly admit that her student was a major looker. It made his crush on her more than slightly baffling, since he could easily get any girl he wanted. And yet he chose _her_ instead. A woman who wouldn't even consider him a potential lover any time soon.

There was something odd about his eyes and it wasn't the look in them. He felt far more...open...than she could recall. He was relatively alone and no one was likely to stumble across him anytime soon.

Then it hit her when he briefly looked to the shore.

She was used to his eyes being a vibrant shade she could only compare to the gemstone lapis lazuli, or perhaps an attractive shade of sapphire.

But his eyes right now were a vibrant emerald green that reminded her of a cat, or perhaps a predatory bird.

Did Colonello wear contacts? Why? His eyes were quite beautiful and it was increasingly difficult for her to turn her own away. There was something deep and haunting about them, like he could peer into your very soul and strip away the barriers you had around yourself, even those you didn't know where there.

He saw _you_ , not the mask you put around yourself and it was very unnerving when he did it.

Lal almost shivered when those green eyes passed over where she was hiding. Almost like he could sense she was there, but couldn't really see where she was.

She had the feeling she would see more if he didn't. And she was right.

Colonello dismissed the presence, before turning his back to her and going for a bit of a swim.

Lal frowned when under the moonlight she caught sight of several old scars. Some of which were very odd, like the circular ones that went down his back in a curved line to just above one of his kidneys. Like he had gotten clipped by something. There was also a bit of a sunken in spot on his right arm, as if someone had sank a circular object into it and taken a chunk...it was very old though, so he had to have been a kid when he got it.

Without the headband, she could clearly see a faded scar on his forehead in a very peculiar shape. It almost looked like a bolt of lightning of all things, but she could just barely make it out so she couldn't be sure.

Colonello was toned, but still managed to maintain a runner's build. What little mass he had was almost pure muscle, and Lal had to squirm as she cast her eyes down the rest of him.

It looked like he had every reason to be confident in himself, with something like that. He'd make any woman he dated very happy, she could tell. Besides, she knew personally how much stamina he had...Colonello was always the last to run out of energy when she put the trainees through the hellish obstacle courses, even if he never finished first.

She always made him do extra runs if he pissed her off.

She would be the first to admit she would be hard pressed to do better. Colonello was realistic about his chances with her and wasn't wasting his time on foolish attempts to court her while he was in training. He had patience to wait, to find out what would work and then would likely exploit it.

But there was still something holding her back. That haunted look in his eyes bothered the hell out of her and she wouldn't let it go until she figured out what caused it.


	2. Chapter 2

It was shortly before they were to head back when Lal caught a hint of the demons that plagued her favorite student.

She had given him a rare praise for out-sniping his teammates, using creative shots to the amusement of the instructors to reach almost impossible targets.

She wasn't entirely shocked to find the blond up late again. She had quickly realized he was something of an insomniac after the second day.

He had a lot of useful skills that made him a valuable soldier.

He knew more about basic field medicines and how to use local plants to heal than even their own medic did. Though he was often baffled by common medicines anyone should know how to use, he absorbed the information like a sponge.

Lal found that more than slightly worrying, if the way he reacted to her comment about using Advil or Tylenol to help with the swelling was any indication. Almost like he was far too used to soldiering on with injuries far worse without properly treating them, or even getting basic relief to make it tolerable. What that said about his possible pain tolerance was not something she liked to contemplate.

So stumbling across her student in the wee early morning hours and seeing him practice his hand to hand until he damn near had it committed to muscle memory, she almost approached him to offer a proper sparring session.

Except his eyes. It was _those_ eyes again. The ones that bothered her with how haunted they were.

Seeing Colonello finish his last set, he took a few deep breaths and drank deeply of his water bottle.

"Don't even consider it, you fool. She's too far above your pathetic league and she would never want someone as broken as you are," he said softly to himself as he sat down on the log. "Better to watch from afar than risk it."

Something about his eyes reminded her of something. It was on the tip of her tongue where she had seen that sort of look before.

Backing up, she accidentally stepped on a twig causing an almost imperceptible snap in the silent clearing.

Colonello's reaction was so instant that Lal immediately realized where she had seen that look before. Once she got over her shock at the near miss of his knife being thrown without any warning or hesitation whatsoever, with such a lethal look in his eyes.

Colonello came face to face with a _very_ shaken Lal Mirch who was not in the least bit happy about nearly getting cut by his boot knife.

"Captain?"

"You. Damn. Idiot. Why the hell did you never mention you have PTSD?!" she snarled at him. "You nearly hit me with that damn knife!"

Colonello openly flinched, looking so vulnerable that it wasn't even funny. It almost tempered her irate reaction to his near attack.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me! I know PTSD when I see it!"

"No, I mean I have absolutely no idea what PTSD is," he said slowly. "I've heard of it before, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lal paused. For all of his surprising medical knowledge, it was possible he had it and didn't know _what_ it was.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or sometimes known as battle fatigue syndrome. It's a pretty common condition in soldiers coming out of active war zones or battlefields," said Lal slowly.

Colonello looked thoughtful.

"What are the symptoms?" he asked carefully.

"Two of the common ones I know are reliving the event and avoiding certain places, people or even situations related to the trauma. Most soldiers get the first," said Lal carefully. "It's also not uncommon for those who have it to develop feelings of fear, guilt, and anger."

Colonello winced.

"You know that would explain a lot..." he muttered under his breath.

"Which is why I'm more than a little curious as to how the hell the doctors missed you potentially having it," said Lal, eyes narrowed at him.

"...You do realize I'm British, right?" he asked slowly.

"Wait... are you telling me you were involved in those terrorist attacks that happened a few years back?" said Lal.

"Actually I was part of the side trying to stop it," commented Colonello. "It's part of the reason why I came to Italy to join the military, rather than stick close to home."

It was a major reason, actually. Too many memories and too many people willing to shove all the responsibility on him to the point he was drowning in his 'duty' to the same people who had let it get so bad in the first place!

"Just so we're clear, I will be making a note of this in your file. If we had known you have PTSD we could have at least kept an eye out for the warning signs."

"I've gotten pretty good at handling it. It's only when I let my defenses down that things get tricky," said Colonello defensively.

"And if I hadn't dodged, I would have been injured or worse!" said Lal irate. "Handling it and properly _treating_ it are two different things, you idiot!"

"Just being away from England is enough!" said Colonello, openly glaring at her.

"Are you so damn stubborn that you won't accept help when it's clear you need it?!" she demanded.

"In my experience when people say they're willing to help, the reality is that they're more than happy to leave the bulk of the heavy lifting to the one they're 'helping' and then cheering from the sidelines while providing minimal support!" spat Colonello. "I don't need help from people who are all too willing to be sheep lead to the slaughter, leaving the responsibility to the few who can stomach doing what is necessary!"

Lal felt as if he had struck her with that.

That statement alone said far too much of why his eyes were so haunted. Colonello had never shied away from _lethal_ responses, which had to be trained into most civilians. If anything there was an undercurrent of _restraint_ during basic training.

It was pretty damn obvious he had killed before and would not hesitate to kill again.

"Why are you even here?" asked Lal.

"What do you mean?" asked Colonello. He was clearly pissed off about something, likely from memories of England.

"I mean why would someone like you join COMSUBIN despite your condition and the memories of having killed before?" she clarified.

Colonello's laugh was bitter, hollow and just plain tired.

"Where else _can_ I go? I'm a soldier, and I always have been, even before I realized what was going on. Where could I possibly go with the sort of instincts that were forcibly ingrained at me for so long without feeling like I'm drowning among false civility? At least here I can remotely feel like I belong," said Colonello. He would have slumped, if he had been sitting.

That was when Lal realized what had bothered her about Colonello's haunted eyes.

This was someone who had been fighting as a soldier for so long he genuinely had no idea how to transition to civilian life. Who had been haunted by memories of a guerrilla war against monsters to the point he was almost consumed by it. Who could only find peace among those of a similar mindset far, far from the only home he knew.

Lal did the only thing she could think of.

She threw Colonello on the ground, and his shocked blue eyes stared at her from where he was flat on the ground.

"You are an idiot. I don't know what happened in England or why you refuse to ask for help, but I refuse to let any student of mine suffer pointlessly. So if you're going to be a stubborn jackass about getting some treatment for your PTSD, then I have no choice."

Colonello had a resigned look, like he fully expected her to kick him out of the military or to the curb. Lal hated that look in his eyes, as it was clear he had been hurt far too often by the people he should have been able to trust to the point he had come to expect it.

"The next time I find out you're having nightmares, I'm going to train your sorry ass into the ground until you're too exhausted to do anything but sleep," she stated flatly.

The shocked disbelief in his eyes was almost sad in a way.

"What?"

"If you're not going to be reasonable, then I'm going to turn you into the best damn soldier that COMSUBIN has ever seen," said Lal flatly. "You're either going to learn to ask for help, or wash out. Either way I am not letting a potential risk like you snapping and killing someone while in a flashback go. This does not mean we're dating though."

Colonello stared at her incredulous...before a low laugh came out of him. It was tired, bewildered and there was no little amount of confusion. But it was _real_.

"You... are one of a kind captain."

"I damn well better be. And for the record, you're not completely out of my league. You just haven't proven you're worth the effort of humoring yet," she replied dryly. "Now try to get some sleep. We're still marching out in the morning back to base."

Colonello gave her a half-assed salute.

"Yes ma'am!" he said tiredly.

* * *

If the other trainers noticed the focused attention Lal gave Colonello, they merely chalked it up to her finally throwing him a bone in regards to the obvious crush he had on her.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Lal quickly came to learn certain facts about her new "bitch", as Colonello cheerfully referred to himself.

Fact one: the idiot was _used_ to negative reinforcement. He took the head slaps when he was getting out of hand with good cheer and listened attentively to her orders without question.

Fact two: he reacted _badly_ to certain words or behaviors. He could handle loud explosives and gunfire, but he tended to flinch when he heard voices raised in anger. It was slight, but noticeable if you were looking for it. She quickly learned that he had far too much bad experience with being called a 'freak', which really pissed her off for his sake.

Fact three: Colonello was far too used to running on fumes, all while heavily injured and still getting the job done. It made training him into the ground both a joy and a headache, because the entire reason they were doing this was to help with the insomnia.

Fact four: Lal had a very unpleasant suspicion about Colonello's childhood, or lack thereof. Quite a few things were quickly painting how bleak it had been and how little support he actually had. That he was this stable was a miracle and a testament to his will.

Things like how he knew how to patch himself up with precision that could only come out of long practice and experience, yet was constantly surprised at the use of common medicines to help ease pain or healing. As if he had never used them growing up when he was hurt. Instead he relied more on plants and other herbal remedies anyone with the right knowledge could use.

While they weren't nearly as effective as basic medicines, for those who had to do without they were better than nothing.

The strange thing was that the weekly sessions where she laid the blond flat on his ass through training was actually _helping_ his trauma in greater strides than she could have guessed.

They never spoke of what happened. Lal was perfectly willing to keep her silence on the horrors he had experienced. If he wanted to open up, she would listen but she would not press him.

Instead she gave him useful skills to focus on so that his mind could clear itself and allow him even a modicum of peace. Things like assembling and dissembling several different guns until he could do it while blindfolded, or sparring with him until he was laid out flat on his ass on the ground.

She gave him no time to pity himself or feel guilt over what happened. She demanded nothing less than his best and he gave it without question, with a tired grin on his face.

Colonello got his ass kicked so often that he actually enjoyed it. She had to wonder if he was something of a masochist, putting up with her extra hellish training.

Except he didn't _enjoy_ pain...he was just too used to it to care anymore.

"I don't understand how you can take it," said Jake, shaking his head. "She's literally putting you through hell and you keep _taking_ it without trying to woo her!"

"What good would it do me to try?" said Colonello, his smile a bit brittle. "Besides, there's a reason she has me doing all that night training."

"Really?" asked Greg.

"It's between me and her, so you're not getting any sordid details," deadpanned Colonello.

"Cock tease," said Jake.

"I'd like to think it's cock envy coming from you, or have you been hiding more than those over-used porn mags from us?" said Colonello raising an eyebrow. Hearing the indignant squawk from Jake, he grinned.

"This coming from the only bloke able to sleep through Jake jacking off!" said Greg laughing.

"I literally slept in a dorm room with four other guys for six years since I was eleven. You learn to sleep through anything after that," deadpanned Colonello.

Or in his case use a wandless silencing spell anchored to his headband. When he could sleep, he tended to sleep like the dead. If there was ever an actual emergency the other guys knew the best way to wake him up was to throw a pillow at him.

Colonello had a very ingrained reaction to punch anyone stupid enough to shake him awake. Something they learned early on, though it rarely happened as he was usually the first one up.

"Speaking of getting some, leave is on Halloween. I say we get shitfaced and find some girls to have a bit of fun with," said Jake, rubbing his hands together.

Colonello grimaced.

"Count me out," he said without hesitation. "Me and Halloween have been on bad terms for years and I wouldn't want to ruin your break."

"Come on man, you have to live a little! Just come out drinking with us!"

Colonello shook his head.

"Seriously, count me out. I'd just bring the whole mood down, since I tend to get black out drunk on that night and try to forget what day it is."

"Give us one good reason," said Jake.

"My parents were murdered on Halloween when I wasn't even two, and I still remember most of their last moments," said Colonello darkly. "So excuse me for hating the holiday when I have absolutely no good memories of it growing up."

Jake and Greg winced at that.

"What happened?"

"Some asshole serial murderer found where we were hiding due to a traitor who was supposed to be a close friend of my dad's, and broke into the house. My dad fought him off long enough for my mom to reach the nursery, and I still remember her pleading for my life. No one is entirely sure how I survived, but apparently the bastard was killed when he tried to take me out as well. Considering the state of the nursery I think he accidentally took out part of the ceiling when he killed her, because it collapsed roughly where he was standing," said Colonello. "My aunt was less than pleased having me around and took out her jealousy towards my mother on me, and her husband was a total bigoted asshole."

Seeing them wince.

"So yeah, I hate Halloween."

Jake clapped his hand on Colonello's shoulder.

"Well bring you back some candy or something," he said, not pressing further.

It was kind of hard to have a festive atmosphere if one of your friends was reliving his parent's murder. They would let him brood in peace.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Halloween and Lal was mostly going over paperwork. So she was somewhat surprised to hear someone knocking at her door.

Finding her favorite student in casual clothes that hung just loose enough to hint at his toned figure, very drunk but still sober enough to remember most of what he said later was _not_ what she expected.

Nor was the kiss he gave her.

She melted, not that she would admit that to anyone outside the privacy of her own mind. For someone who openly admitted to only having experience with an ex-girlfriend that never went past a few kisses here and there, he was a _very_ good kisser.

"What..." she said, when she could think clearly again. He might have been drinking, but she could tell he wasn't actually drunk. No one could possibly be _that_ good if they were drunk!

"Tell me I don't have a chance with you and I'll leave you alone," said Colonello dead serious. "Tell me to get lost and I will."

Lal could tell he wasn't kidding. If she really had no interest in him, he would leave her be.

But... she did have a thing for him, against her better judgment. He had grown on her, in a way she hadn't counted on and respected the boundaries she put up.

However their late night sessions combined with the fact he had a few drinks to loosen his own reservations, not to mention the sheer loneliness she could see in his heart created a very... awkward situation if she didn't handle this properly.

She pulled him down for a second kiss.

"I don't know what happened to you or what you're running from. And quite frankly I could care less. You're a stubborn fool who has been through far too much and is so used to things going to hell that you've lost faith in ever having someone who's actually in your corner. I'm not saying I'll date you anytime soon. It would cause all sorts of headaches if they found out I was dating a student. However that doesn't mean your chances are completely hopeless. Now get in here," said Lal.

Colonello looked so much like a lost puppy that had been kicked and beaten so often that it had almost given up hope of good things happening to him that it made her heart almost break.

Hearing the whine he gave off when she laid his head on her lap and ran her fingers through his hair made her heart hurt. However the pure trust he showed when he relaxed into her hold made up for it.

Someone had hurt him, badly and for a long time. And yet he trusted her with his heart. It was a responsibility she wasn't going to take lightly.

"Just sleep, idiot student," she said fondly.

* * *

Colonello blinked. This was not the dorms or a room he had rented for the night. For one thing, he never would have slept on a surprisingly comfortable couch.

For another, he could see Lal Mirch finishing getting dressed in the corner.

Memories of what he did the night before hit him like a brick and it was only his considerable experiences that kept him from groaning out loud.

He had royally screwed up.

"Awake? I guess it's not that shocking you're up so early," said Lal.

He tried to sit up and grimaced at the mild hangover he had. He had to fight the urge to flinch at the gentle hand on his head.

"I'm not pissed at you for that kiss. If anything I'm angry at whoever conditioned you to think that opening up will only end up backfiring on you so spectacularly. How are you feeling?"

Colonello looked and felt miserable. Lal rubbed his back, which had some of the tension loosening.

"Like I said last night, while I won't date you right now that doesn't mean your chances are completely hopeless," she told him gently.

"Good things don't happen to me, and if it looks like things are going my way it usually means everything is about to FUBAR without much warning soon," he said miserably. "The last time it looked like something good was going my way, I lost the only adult who was willing to stand in my corner trying to save me from an ambush."

Losing Sirius had been a hard blow. It had taught him in a very painful and blunt way that any chances of escaping the prison closing around him wasn't going to happen before all hell broke loose and he had to fight a war.

So no, Colonello had learned a long time ago that good things happened to other people, and if something good happened to him then he had damn well be ready for the other shoe to drop in a particularly painful manner.

He didn't even realize he was crying. Just that Lal was holding him close and allowing him to let it out. It had been a long time coming, and she wasn't so heartless as to leave him alone when he clearly needed comfort.

"Shh... I'm right here," she said gently.

Colonello leaned into her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her.

If Lal ever found the bastards who nearly broke a man as strong as her idiot student, she would shoot them. Repeatedly. With great pleasure and creativity when it came to shot placement for maximum retribution.

Feeling him relax properly, Lal tried to get him to open up, just a bit.

"You said you had an ex-girlfriend. Why don't you tell me what she was like?" said Lal soothingly.

Colonello's eyes were still tired, but they weren't painful to look at.

"Ginny... well Ginny is a total spit fire, and is a bit of a tomboy. Suppose that's what you get when you have a mother that tries to smother you and growing up with six older brothers, with most of them growing up to be successful in their careers. Especially the twins...they were a riot and the ones most likely to hide me if and when I ever go back and she finds out," said Colonello with a tired chuckle. "Her youngest older brother Ron though... he was a lazy bastard who was only interested in his favorite sport, chess and food. He had the worst habit of letting his jealousy and pride get in the way at the absolutely _worst_ time."

Lal listened to the way Colonello spoke of his 'family' with fondness and some exasperation. From the odd habits of the father who had an obsession with the strangest things (a spark plug collection, really?), to the pranks of the twins and the mother who accepted any child into her home but had the worst habit of smothering them and treating them like they were five and needed to be coddled and sheltered when the whole world was burning around them.

It was clear that for the most part, Colonello did miss the closest thing to a family he had. However he was quite rightly worried that if he went back now, he'd only end up in the same rut that had nearly sent him off the deep end in the first place. Too many memories and expectations with no one to help give him the confidence and strength to say "no".

"Have you ever considered writing them a letter explaining why you left?" asked Lal.

Colonello blinked.

"I'm not entirely sure they wouldn't just use it to track me down and then lecture me in very loud disappointed voices about leaving without giving them a chance to talk me out of it," he admitted quietly. "Hermione alone would be pissed at the way I left, and she was one of the people who kept trying to push me into getting a job and marrying Ginny."

Hermione had been of the belief that the sooner he had settled into what she considered 'normal', the sooner he could recover from the war. That he could forget years of conditioning and hell and put aside the soldier that he had been forged into. To take up the 'responsibility' that came with being the head of two noble families and the duties that came with it.

She had come from a middle class family and had a fairly sheltered childhood. It had taken a war to break her of the idea that maybe the world was made of more grays that she would have liked, and she had never really liked looking at cold, hard reality in the face. She would rather retreat behind her rose colored view of the world which was safe and had restrictions. Where she could rely on the rough people ready to commit violence to protect her.

The idea that maybe he had been forced to assume the role and had absolutely no idea how to be a normal citizen had never truly crossed her mind, and the magical enclaves were shit for recognizing that maybe he didn't have the 'fairy tale childhood' everyone assumed. That perhaps their "savior" was more broken than they would like and needed more than just a new 'normal' to heal from the hell he had gone through.

He felt the comforting squeeze of Lal's hand in his own.

He had felt more at peace getting his ass handed to him in training and being around other soldiers than he ever had being around his own _friends_.

Still, Lal had given him an idea. Maybe ranting in a letter that would never be sent would help some of the nightmares.

* * *

"So I heard _someone_ finally made a move on the captain. It's about time!" said Jake.

Colonello stared him dead in the eyes.

"I kissed her, then passed out drunk on the couch," he deadpanned. "I'm lucky she didn't shoot me for it."

"And yet you spent most of the next day in her room," Greg pointed out.

Colonello winced and went with a half-truth.

"She pointed out that if things were really so bad that I ditched my old life to the point of taking on a new name and identity just to get out of it, then perhaps it would be better to write a few letters that are never going to get sent to explain why," he said tactfully.

"I knew Colonello couldn't be your real name! What is it? Bob? Bill?" said Jake triumphantly. There was no way in hell someone would be daft enough to name their son "colonel" in Italian!

"...Hadrian," he admitted. "Though I will kick your ass if _any_ of you use it. There's a reason I changed my name and what I look like and I would prefer to leave my old self in the past where he belongs," said Colonello seriously. "I'm not kidding... if any of you try to dig deeper into why I left England I will make your lives a living hell in a way no one will be able to find the evidence that leads back to me for."

"Prove it."

"You remember that one general who suddenly found out that all of his briefs had suddenly been dosed with some mid-grade itching powder that was impossible to detect and his clothes were extra starched after that comment he made about the captain?" asked Colonello seriously.

Jake and Greg nodded, only to stare at him in shock.

"That was you?" said Jake in awe.

"Don't piss off the legacy of master pranksters, especially one who has mad ninja skills and access to a large number of herbal remedies that are impossible to detect," said Colonello smugly. "And who will, if anyone is stupid enough to point the fingers at them, immediately shift the blame on the ones who can't keep their mouths shut about the real culprit in a way that gives the loudmouths latrine duty for _months_."

Jake and Greg looked at him in disbelief.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good, and that if caught I will uphold the prankster's code."

"Which is?" asked Greg in amusement.

"Admit nothing, deny everything and make counter accusations if caught by any authority figure of note," said Colonello with a dead serious tone and impish gleam in his eyes.

"Dude, how have you been hiding _this_ from us?!" complained Jake.

"You never asked, just like no one ever bothers to ask why I know how to cook snake," said Colonello shrugging.

That made them pause.

"...You know how to cook."

"I cook, I clean, I know how to treat basic injuries with surprising competence and mend clothes," said Colonello bluntly. "I also know how to handle small children."

"You mean to tell me we've been sharing a bunk with a _house husband_?" said Jake with mock horror.

Colonello's eyes glinted.

"A house husband who has all your scores beat and can kick your ass nine ways to Sunday," he shot back smugly.

"I suppose it's a good thing you are somewhat domestic, considering the fact you've decided to pursue the captain," said Greg.

The other two looked at him, which had Greg smirking.

"Think about it... do you really see the captain bothering with traditional _female_ tasks like cooking or mending?"

Jake thought that one over before he started howling.

"I suppose god decided to make up for her lack of feminine qualities by making sure her future soul mate had them in spades."

"I'll be sure to tell her that tonight," said Colonello smirking.

"You wouldn't dare," said Jake in horror. "She kicked my ass the time she heard that crack about her lack of curves."

Oh how Lal had made Jake _pay_ for that snide comment about the fact she was more of a tomboy than a curvy female. She had taken far too much glee making his suffer in the name of training.

That she immediately puts him through even more hellish training the next day after hearing that crack about her lack of feminine attributes just proves that when annoyed, Colonello can and will be a total ass.

That or he was absolutely serious about keeping his old life firmly in the past and that he will not hesitate to make them all suffer if they brought it up.

* * *

"You look good with blond."

"I would ask how you found me, but I have the feeling it's a Luna thing so I won't."

Luna Lovegood beamed at him.

"How did you get your natural hair color to change like that?"

"A potion that locked it permanently to a new color," said Colonello shrugging. "The rest is just contacts. Not like I was that attached to the hair color."

The fact his friends would be looking for a dark haired, green eyed midget and not the almost six-foot tall blond with blue eyes made it a major bonus. His insomnia was good for one thing...it gave him incentive to fix a lot of little issues that had always annoyed him, like being the shortest of his friends. A few potions and a lot of nightmare-induced exercise that had him crashing in the morning caused a few overdue growth spurts to hit.

Luna smiles pleasantly.

"I can deliver the letters, if you like. Ginny was most irate when she realized you weren't coming back and I think it's long past time for them to get a reality check of how bad things were."

Colonello looked at her.

"I'll take your offer and raise you a squark if you don't tell them where I am or what I look like now," he said seriously.

Luna's smile brightened even more.

"If anyone asks what your last name, you can tell them honestly it's Lovegood," she said happily.

He rubbed his chin.

"You always were an awesome little sister, Lunabelle," he grinned.

Luna smiled at him before hugging him. Colonello had practically adopted her after fifth year, when she was one of the few who bothered to actually notice how alone he was. She had happily accepted the designation of "little sister", and it was partly because of her that he had changed his appearance to a blond with blue eyes and a cheerful disposition.

He had based his 'Colonello' persona after a slightly more sane Luna, after all.

A lot of people were going to be in for a rude awakening when they got the long overdue letters that would never have been sent otherwise.


	4. Chapter 4

**In honor of my birthday (and the end of my vacation, sadly), I give to you updates!**

* * *

Lal's meeting with Luna was...interesting...to say the least.

The blond smiled at the confused military woman, as if she knew something that had yet to be seen.

"I approve. You're better for our general than Ginny ever was. He's actually healing, rather than just coping."

Lal blinked confused.

"General?"

Luna merely smiled at her.

"It's not my secret to tell. When he's ready, he'll tell you the full story, but for now just keep being there for him. It was more than Ginny ever did."

Lal narrowed her eyes at Luna.

"What does that mean?"

"Ginny always saw the dream husband she believed was meant to be hers, rather than the almost broken man she was given. She didn't understand the pain he was in, not really. You though... you know that healing takes actual time and understanding, and you come with a completely blank slate when it comes to preconceptions of what the general is like," said Luna.

"Why do you call him general?" asked Lal.

Luna's smile was more than a bit brittle.

"You'll find out soon enough. The question is, are you ready for the implications of what it means when you do?" she asked.

* * *

It was a stupid training exercise, one meant to get the rookie officers almost ready to graduate and lead a chance to practice their recently learned leadership skills on almost equally green rookies, with the older soldiers there to advise both. The two were being graded on how well they did or followed orders.

And as luck would have it, Lal got Colonello's group.

The officer was a total greenhorn and had more brawn than brains. He had clearly paid his way into officer training school when it would have been better to throw him in with the regular soldiers to knock some of that ego out of him.

The mock training exercise had five factions of four people, not including the 'adviser'.

Colonello was _not_ happy with their leader, at all.

"So just to be clear you expect _me_ to guard the 'base' simply because I'm a medic and therefor have less than useful combat skills. Despite the fact I have one of the highest scores as a sniper and trap specialist. You also want Jake and Greg to scout, despite the fact they're terrible at it and will almost certainly be killed for following your orders," said Colonello.

Lal had already privately marked the fool for retraining after hearing how he allocated his resources in a way that would only end in disaster. Yes, Colonello's file was recently marked to indicate he was qualified to be a battlefield medic, but he was better served as a trap specialist and sniper, or in a pinch a front line fighter. Not guarding a base where he'd be bored to tears!

Jake and Greg were decent enough at scouting, but their specialties were traps and defense, not gathering information.

"I'm in charge, so you have to listen to what I tell you to do! You're a medic, so that means you guard the base!" said Leonardo, or "Leo" as he called himself.

Colonello pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he looked at Lal who was mostly there to mark how well they did.

"Just out of curiosity how badly are we going to be marked if I knock him out and actually come up with a plan that makes sense and better use of our resources while still defending the base?"

"You'll be marked for insubordination and a potential bad note on your file, but that's about it," she replied.

Colonello smirked and Leo had a bad feeling about what was about to happen next.

Which is why he completely failed to dodge the blow to the stomach Colonello gave him, knocking him out cold.

"Right, Jake, set up a perimeter and find a place to hide this moron out of sight. If I have to we'll gag his ass and use some creative rope tying tricks to keep him out of the way until his ego gets a reality check. Greg, keep an eye out for advanced scouts while Jake sets up the perimeter. I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"Got it commander," said the two with a salute. Out of the three of them they _knew_ who was the de facto leader of their trio. Colonello preferred to go with the flow most times, but when things got serious he was always the one to get them out of trouble.

Lal frowned hearing that tone.

What she saw next brought to mind what Luna had called her student. And the little details she knew of his past before he joined the military.

Luna had called him the 'general'. And Colonello was a bit too at ease with leading the other two in a live combat simulation. Almost like he had previous experience leading soldiers in a fight and coming out on top.

That bad feeling only cemented when she saw how it was Colonello, not the rookie captain who had pissed all three of them off, who lead their group to winning. He naturally allocated their resources and skills for maximum effect, and his tone was perfect for getting soldiers to follow orders on instinct if nothing else.

Which was why after it was over and the scores were tallied, Lal's hand lashed out and snagged his ear.

Colonello yelped, but didn't try to escape or complain.

"Care to explain what happened, idiot student? With those sort of skills you should have gone into officer training!"

Colonello rubbed his poor ear.

"I hate that sort of thing. The only reason I took lead was because that guy would have gotten us all killed in short order," he replied.

Lal glared at him.

"You are a natural leader. Why the hell are you with the regular soldiers? There's no way the recruiter would have missed those sort of instincts, let alone the basic trainers!"

Lal lead the advanced training for those who survived the basic conditioning. No point in wasting time on people who would only wash out the first year.

Colonello grumbled under his breath.

"What was that, idiot student?"

"I said I keep getting referrals for officer training, but I always throw them away. I don't even bother to look at them anymore before I toss them," said Colonello grumbling. "I _like_ not having to give the orders and knowing my mistakes lead to good men being killed because I made a bad call."

Lal stared at him. Then she sighed.

"You are completely hopeless," she said in exasperation. It was like her favorite student went out of his way to surprise her with hidden assets, only to stubbornly remain in the background. "One of these days I am going to get to the bottom of why you insist on being part of the crowd instead of where you truly belong, even if you deny it."

Lal's features took on a tone Colonello didn't particularly like.

"What are you planning?"

"I refuse to let your natural talent be lost to the side because you are being unreasonable."

Which was why the next time a group training session was planned with 'leaders' and 'followers', Lal put in a recommendation and made very, very sure she wasn't the adviser.

If he was going to be stubborn about officer training, then she was going to make damn sure the higher ups knew about his natural inclination to being a good leader and have him promoted straight out of training. It was unusual, but considering how often he claimed he was getting those recommendation letters that he ignored odds were it would go through.

Lal felt particularly vindictive when her suggestion was not only accepted, but backed by over half the trainers who had worked with the blond. And she had the perfect incentive to keep him from trying to botch this.

If he proved himself and passed, then he wouldn't be her student anymore. And that meant it wouldn't look nearly as bad if they decided to date.

So she was quite surprised when she got a quiet visit from the odd platypus (Colonello's words, not hers) known as Luna.

"You're on the right track, but you may lose him if he realizes what you're doing," commented Luna.

Lal paused and looked at her seriously.

"What can I do to keep him?" she asked.

"Tell him the truth. If necessary, be as blunt as you can about why you're doing it and don't try to dress it up with pretty words. He's been lead around by those in authority for so long and had it come back to hurt him later that he might resent you if he realizes what's going on, even after the fact."

"I just want him to quit hiding," said Lal tiredly. It pissed her off to no end that he felt like he _had_ to hide his true self from everyone around him to protect his heart.

Luna's smile was sad.

"He was never allowed to be a child. The adults around him told him to 'enjoy his childhood' and to stay out of the fighting, that they would handle everything. Instead he was blindsided and unprepared, and his childhood was lost as he was forced to clean up the mess that the adults left behind because they were too weak to do what was necessary. How easily those around him forgot that out of us all, he had lost the most to the complacency of those who were supposed to protect us."

Lal was silent, though she was already adjusting her plans. From what little Luna had hinted at, Colonello had been forced to lead one side of the fighting when the original general was killed by a double agent to keep his cover. From there the adults all expected _him_ to lead and he wasn't given a choice in the matter because both sides had a very unhealthy interest in him.

All during what amounted to a relatively small scale war that had carried on from his parent's generation that never fully settled, just put on hold.

Well...if Colonello wanted to _earn_ his status as an officer, they could work with that. First they get his ass promoted to where he should have gone, then they'd teach him how to be a _proper_ leader, not some poor bastard who had to figure out things while he went.

Luna smiled. Lal was truly better for their commander than Ginny was. She understood exactly how to help him thrive, and not smother him under the expectations of the close minded.

* * *

 _A week later..._

"You planning to do _what_ , kora?!" said Colonello, a look of horrified disbelief on his face.

"Since you won't undergo normal training, we're going to put you through a mock battle situation where _you're_ in charge from the start and show if you can handle being an officer," said Lal flatly. Before Colonello could argue, she shut him down. "And before you get any ideas of favoritism or that we're just going to give you a high rank and make you lead, guess again. I merely put in the suggestion, and well over half the trainers on base jumped in to agree with me. You're wasted as a regular soldier and this is as close to a battlefield promotion as you're likely to get for the moment."

"I don't _want_ to lead!"

She pulled him down to her eye level and held his face still with both hands on his cheeks.

"Listen to me, you idiot. If we didn't think you deserve a chance to prove yourself, none of us would stake our reputations as soldiers to push this little idea through. And since you're so stubborn about wanting to actually _earn_ your rank the hard way... which earned you a lot of brownie points with the old guard because you're not afraid of a little hard work... if you pass then we're just going to make you a lieutenant and work your ass off until you've earned your rank. At best you'll be partnered with me as your senior officer, since we work so well together anyway," said Lal bluntly, looking him dead in the eye.

Luna was right...the best way to get through to him was to be as blunt and straightforward as possible. Colonello hated liars and while he might spin a few half-truths, he never liked telling outright lies.

Colonello looked her in the eye and sighed with resignation.

"There's no getting out of this, is there?"

"Not unless you want to wash out, after all the hell I put you through."

Colonello grimaced at the idea.

"If I left now I'd forever feel like I left something unfinished and it would drive me absolutely crazy," he said, shaking his head.

"So princess, are you going to man up and do your best or are you going to pansy out? Bear in mind that my rule of not dating students doesn't apply to fellow officers," said Lal, leaving the lure out.

It took Colonello a few seconds before that filtered through, but when he did his eyes went wide with shock.

"What?"

"I don't date students. Fellow officers are another story," she repeated. "There's nowhere near as many complaints if two officers date, even if one of them is a bit higher ranked than the other. And like I said before, there's a very high chance we are going to end up as partners if you pass, and it's not that uncommon for it to spark into something more as long as we can still do our jobs."

"So... you're saying that if I go through with this and succeed then you'll go out on a date with me."

"I'm saying you'll have a better chance and that I'll agree to _one_ date if you pass," corrected Lal. "Bear in mind that I am not sleeping with you."

Colonello actually seemed _relieved_ when she said that last bit. How odd.

"It's actually kinda nice, knowing that there's no expectation of suddenly jumping in bed together after the first date."

He would rather build a solid foundation of trust, rather than jump into a physical relationship like most men. It's one of his endearing qualities, in her opinion.

Lal gently put a hand on his head and ruffled his blond hair.

"I don't get why you hide your actual eye color. I think green suits you, though blue isn't bad either."

Colonello froze.

"Lal...how do you know my actual eye color is green?" he asked slowly.

Lal's face went red to the roots of her hair. Colonello looked at her with a worried expression, which made her wonder what exactly he was trying to hide.

"I... I saw you during that trip when I twisted my ankle. Like hell was I going to let you bust me looking at your ass when you didn't have a stitch on," she admitted, embarrassed beyond belief.

Thought if she was embarrassed to admit she had seen him without any clothes on, it was nothing to the spectacular blush he had on his face.

"You... you saw that?!" he nearly shrieked.

"I still don't get why you hide the fact you have scars. It's not like anyone is going to care about them," said Lal, changing the subject.

"Most people tend to cringe when they see them," said Colonello, highly embarrassed and unable to look her in the eye.

"The odd ones down your back all the way to your kidney might garner a few odd looks, but the one on your forehead was just a bit oddly shaped is all. Scars are an occupational hazard for a soldier."

Colonello winced.

"Yeah, but you only saw the prominent ones. Every time people look at the others they always give me these annoying looks of sympathy or pity and it pisses me off."

"What others?" demanded Lal.

Colonello, upon seeing she wouldn't drop it, sighs and removes his jacket. Then the shirt and undershirt he always wore. Lal wasn't the only one who wondered why he insisted on all those layers when Italy was positively humid during summers.

The second she saw the scars he mentioned, she damn near saw _red_. Suddenly the PTSD made tragic, horrifying sense because there was no other way to explain that sort of scarring and damage than through torture.

Seeing how vulnerable he was, and the resigned expectation of pity or demands for answers, Lal growled.

"Are they dead?" she asked bluntly.

"If they aren't, then they're doing a damn better job at hiding than I was at hunting their sorry asses down after the fighting was over," said Colonello. "I wasn't particularly inclined to mercy, after."

"Good," said Lal. "Geez, you're almost pure muscle and no fat."

Something in her tone made him relax slightly, even as he put his undershirt on.

Lal makes a note that any training in...unconventional information gathering that usually has the civilians balking (which is why it's only reserved for the serious soldiers and those training to be officers)... should be done with careful supervision. She wouldn't be surprised if he suffered a relapse from his nightmares after a session in how to make someone talk whether they wanted to or not.


	5. Chapter 5

Lal wasn't the only one stunned by the results of the mock battle designed purely to see if Colonello was able to handle officer training.

No wonder Luna kept calling him 'general'.

Colonello is not only good at leading, he is somewhat over qualified for the relatively low rank they were going to give him at the end of this. Sure, he needed a lot of training for basic battlefield tactics and his knowledge base was lacking when it came to strategy...but he was a natural when it came to leading men into a fight and getting them home safely.

Colonello cared less about completing the objective in a timely manner and more about insuring it was completed _and_ his men came out of it if not intact, then at least alive enough that they'd live to see their families.

Something the senior soldiers that they'd saddled him with seemed to sense.

"Are we seriously making him a lieutenant? He'd qualify for captain at the very least!" said the general.

"He would rather work his way up the proper way than get a high rank off the bat. If he had his way he'd stay a normal soldier until he earned one too many recommendations and then got shoved into officer school," said Lal. "He openly admitted that he kept throwing the recommendation letters away without even opening them after the fifth one."

"A man like that is more useful as an officer than as a rank and file," said the general firmly.

"We could always pair him up with Lal," offered Federico. "He works well with her and she'd keep him from falling into the usual pitfalls."

Seeing several of the others nod their head in agreement, Lal could already see it was practically a done deal.

"Maybe now you could lay off the late night hell training," joked Federico.

Lal didn't know why, but it slipped out.

"It's not actually hell training, it's to help him sleep."

"Why would he need help sleeping?" asked Derrick.

"He has PTSD. Remember a few years back, that rash of terrorist incidents in the UK? He was one of the poor bastards stuck in the middle of it. Training harder at night helps him clear his head enough that he can get a few extra hours of sleep in when the nightmares hit," she clarified. "He had no idea what it was until I figured out why he had such an extreme reaction to someone sneaking up on him when his defenses were down."

"How sure are you about this?" asked the general.

"He's a soldier, and had no idea how to cope with the transition back to civilian life. Moving to Italy and joining the military properly was the only way he could move past what happened. I just made damn sure it didn't cause a problem later by giving him someone to vent to," said Lal. "He wasn't even seventeen when the attacks ended and he was on the front lines."

Seeing the collective wince of the other officers, and the understanding in their eyes at the reason why Colonello had so many hidden talents when it came to be a soldier. It's plain to anyone with eyes he had a rough childhood, but this just adds a whole new dimension to it.

"How bad is the trauma?" asked the general seriously.

"He has a good handle on it. The one time he had a relapse his first instinct was to come to me and he basically crashed on the couch. I think most of the triggers were left behind in England, because he's actually healing from it. Being around other soldiers who won't ask stupid questions or expect a quick healing process has done wonders," said Lal seriously.

"Makes you wonder what sort of scars he has," commented Federico.

"He has torture scars, and a few odd ones like this one that seems to curve down his back with circular pits, or the one on his right arm that looks like something tried to take a chunk out of it where the elbow is. Though the oddest one I saw on him was this weird lightning bolt shaped on on his head. His eyes got really flinty when I asked him about it."

Lal doesn't notice it, but the second she said "lightning bolt scar" and "head" in the same sentence, the general's eyes widened in shock.

A lot of little details quickly filtered down to add into one obvious conclusion. Unlike the lower officers, the general _was_ clued in to magic...and with it the "who's who" of the magical enclaves.

Including a certain 'man' who went missing a few years back without a trace, leaving his long-time girlfriend behind.

Well, far be it for him to split up a very effective team, especially if the captain could get an asset like that into something closer to functional!

The general didn't quite dance with glee, but the partnership of Lal Mirch and "Colonello" was all but set in stone now. As was Colonello's promotion. If they did this right that man would be on the fast track to a very long and successful career in the Italian military.

* * *

Lal resists the urge to slap her idiot student on the head. _Barely_.

"You mean to tell me you plan on spending your leave training and lounging around base instead of actually going out and living?"

"Um... yes?" he said sheepishly.

Lal is not amused.

"You are going to get your swim trunks, and then we are going to the beach for a week. There is a time for training and a time to unwind, and I'll be damned if I let you waste your two week leave on base," said Lal bluntly, leaving no room for argument.

Colonello is so bewildered by this sudden change of events that he doesn't even try to argue.

Their first date, by all accounts should have ended in disaster, by civilian standards. Most dates don't have a mugger attempt to rob you at knife point while you're going to see a show.

Colonello takes _one_ look at how the idiot is holding the knife and starts howling with laughter. Much to the bewilderment of the mugger, if only because he was being serious about threatening them.

That only made Colonello laugh harder.

Lal, irritated beyond belief at the interruption and the fact Colonello is too busy laughing his ass off at the inept handling of a cheap knife, decides to deal with the issue personally.

The poor would-be robber doesn't stand a change, relatively fancy dress or not.

"Were you seriously going to stand there cackling the entire time?"

"Yes," said Colonello without any sympathy. However the incident fully chased away any lingering shadows in his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I knew you aren't some damsel in distress, and could handle yourself," he said honestly. "If I felt he was an actual threat I wouldn't have just laughed my ass off. Besides, I could tell from one look the guy didn't have it in him to do anything lethal."

Lal grumbled, but silently agreed on that point.

"Do you still want to catch the show, or should we do something else?" asked Colonello.

"We should still have time to see the show. How did you know I liked musicals?"

"I noticed a few CD's in your before and looked them up. Didn't know you were a fan of _Carmen_."

There were few things Lal would get dressed up for. Musicals were one of them, and somehow Colonello had managed to secure prime seats.

She had to wonder exactly how much of his recently upgraded paycheck he sacrificed to get them.

Lal damn near breaks out the guns when she finds out the cost of a single ticket, much less the seats that gave a perfect view of the stage and allowed you to hear the performers.

"Colonello...exactly how did you pay for these?" she hissed at him. "There is no way you could afford this on a soldier's salary, much less the recent upgrade you got!"

Colonello winced at that.

"I plead the fifth?"

"This is Italy, not America," she growled.

Colonello winced.

"I didn't really spend my checks when I got them?"

"There is no way anyone would spend this much money on two tickets. Not on something as boring as a first date, especially if there's no chance of it turning physical. Never mind that the restaurant you took me to was anything but cheap," she said flatly.

Lal looked at him seriously.

"What aren't you telling me?" she asked.

"I might have been fudging exactly how much I have in my bank accounts to the others?" he said sheepishly. "I never really saw what the big deal was with money. I mean it's not like it's really that important and you can always make more of it later if you lose it."

"You are one of the weirdest men I have ever met. And what do you mean you've been lying about how much you have in your accounts? You didn't blow through your savings on this, did you?" she asked worried.

Colonello snorted.

"Don't worry about it."

"You're my partner, of course I'm going to be worried! What if you end up dead broke and have to live in my apartment?" she demanded.

Colonello looked like he was just shy of laughing his ass off.

"I'm being serious!"

"I know, that's why it's hilarious."

Lal pinched his cheeks extra hard for that. He was too used to the head slaps at this point.

"If it really worries you, I'll let you look at what's in my checkbook."

"Considering how lax you are when it comes to spending money, you better believe I'm going to be looking at it. I've seen you try to budget," said Lal.

Colonello managed to catch her when she took _one_ look at his online bank account profile and she almost fainted.

"What... HOW?"

"Old blood, old money," shrugged Colonello. Though over half of it was from people donating their vaults to the 'savior' at the end of the war, both times, simply because they were so 'grateful' and had lost their heirs. It made more than a few distant relatives pissed off, but they weren't stupid enough to duel him over it.

Lal twitched. The amount in his bank account reached well over the five digit range.

"Next thing you're going to tell me is that you're actually nobility."

Colonello couldn't look her in the eye at that.

"Oh come on!"

He coughed into his fist.

"Head of two ancient and noble lines that go back at _least_ seven hundred years, if not more. Though the family's pretty much dwindled to nothing and I'm the only remaining member of my dad's family. The other one I don't particularly like talking about, though I do have a godson in England I haven't seen in a long time," he admitted.

"And you joined as a regular soldier, rather than pay your way into officer's training where you'd get the cushy assignments like every other rich boy who wants to play soldier..." she said, in absolute disbelief. "Well at least now I'll never have to worry about you having to borrow my couch because you blew through your bank accounts like an idiot."

No wonder he was crap at budgeting, if he had this much of a safety cushion.

"Nah, if I ever spent _that_ much it would be easier to open up one of the vacation houses I know are around. Somewhere. Never really bothered to find out where though," said Colonello.

"Why?"

"One of Ginny's brothers works at a bank and so does his wife. If I opened up a house, that would require getting the security system checked over and I _know_ he wouldn't hesitate to volunteer to be the one to check it over. And the second they find out where I am, then the rest of them are going to show up and make it known in spades how unhappy they were at me leaving so suddenly," said Colonello with absolutely no hesitation.

The goblins would do it too, if only to piss him off. They were still miffed about the whole dragon thing and they wouldn't hesitate to make his day harder just because he pissed off his adopted family.

"Would it really be that bad if they found out where you were?"

Colonello's wince was very telling.

"Molly Weasley is something of an...acquired...taste and has some very firm ideas of 'how things are done'. She was one of the main people who kept trying to push me into marrying her daughter so that I could become a proper member of the family she could bully around. I think half the reason Bill and Charlie left for distant countries was to get _away_ from their mother. I know the twins moved in very quickly to the joke shop I helped them to start," said Colonello slowly.

"Controlling?" guessed Lal.

"She wanted all her sons to go into the Ministry like their father, never mind it was the same one that was overrun by the bastards who were causing the trouble in the first place. You wouldn't _believe_ the look she gave me when I pointed that fact out just so she'd lay off the twins. She never really approved of the joke shop and actually destroyed their sample products and mail order forms once."

Lal winced. It sounded more like she was firmly in denial if she was that bad. No wonder Colonello wanted to avoid her.

"And Hermione... she kept trying to push me into joining the police academy straight out of school, just because I commented on wanting to be one to piss off a fake teacher. After the war I wanted nothing to do with law enforcement or the rules that were never even upheld in the first place," said Colonello in disgust. "She always did have a black and white view of the world and hated being reminded that it's full of grays."

It had taken her far too long to realize that if she wanted to survive, she had to loosen up a few morals.

"Well I'm glad you left. Otherwise we never would have met," said Lal with finality.

Finding out her idiot student was actual nobility was a bit of a shock, but it didn't change who he was.

"...Is it mean of me to ask for cuddles?" he asked. There was such a hopeful tone in his voice that it was like looking at a cute puppy wanting to be hugged.

"Come here you idiot," said Lal with exasperation. He happily leaned into her side, since they both knew it wouldn't go any farther than that. Colonello respected her personal boundaries too much to let his hands wander places they shouldn't. "I swear putting up with you is like owning an abused puppy. A very adorable, exasperating puppy."

"Woof, woof," joked Colonello. "I could always wear dog ears, if you like."

"Don't you dare! It's bad enough half the base already calls you my 'personal bitch' when word got out about our training sessions!" she said laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

He was just getting breakfast when the letter reached him via owl. It was a wedding invitation for Ginny and some random bloke from school.

Colonello snorted at the blatant attempts to convince him to come back. As if finding out she was getting hitched would somehow convince him he was _desperately_ in love with her and try to woo her back to him.

Not a chance in hell.

"What's that?" asked Federico.

"Wedding invitation for my ex and some guy I might have shared classes with at some point, but don't really remember," said Colonello, going back to his eggs.

"You going to go?"

"If this is legit, then it means having to deal with the fact I basically dumped her without any warning at all and left without a word. She has five older brothers and a very controlling mother who has firm views of how things are done," said Colonello, wincing at the idea.

"Why did you leave her?"

"I woke up one morning, looked back on how our relationship was going and realized I only ever saw her as a little sister, not a girlfriend. When I figured that out, I threw a dart at a map, packed up and came to Italy without a second thought or telling anyone where I was going. Best move I ever made, since they would have tried to talk me out of it or at least tried to get me to stay closer to home."

 _That_ would have been a total disaster in the making.

"So... you're not going?"

"If I did, it would only end in a lot of yelling, attempts at emotional blackmail and people assuming they have the right to dictate how I live my life," said Colonello shaking his head.

"Ah. Probably smart to avoid it then."

He sends back a polite "Congratulations, but not interested in showing up" letter back with the same owl.

He is not shocked in the least when a familiar red letter is sent in reply. That he is so quick to shoot it out of the owl's claws said volumes, especially the pissed off look on his face.

"Some people can't take a hint," he grumbled, promptly dumping the certain to be scathing letter about his refusal to show up in a bucket of water. Not only does it mitigate the explosive effects, but it dampens the inevitable explosion of sound.

"Who the hell did you piss off enough to have them send you a _letter bomb_?!" demanded Lal.

"An overbearing house wife with nothing better to do than to try and control her children's lives. I'd recognize her handwriting anywhere," said Colonello sourly. "And I know the perfect way to respond to this particular bit of stupidity."

Namely he was going to send one right back, filled with enough profanity to make a sailor blush and the hopes that the kids heard enough of it to repeat it in front of Molly Weasley.

It has been a long time since he used magic, but this is one piece he didn't mind doing. If only to serve a point.

He hoped the twins got a kick out of the delivery. He really shouldn't have watched so much _South Park_ , if that profanity laced song from the movie was the first thing that came to mind when he thought of a rather hilarious payback via howler.

His revenge sent back, he waited to enjoy the fallout. It was laced with a spell that allowed him to scry their reactions from where he was, only to destroy itself with the letter itself.

He falls into open cackling at the reaction of the women. Molly's face was so red it was practically a tomato, and Hermione looked openly appalled.

The twins though? They were howling once they realized what he had done, as was Charlie and to a lesser extent Bill. Colonello quit watching once Bill figured out why he had sent a howler in the first place. He didn't look pleased with his mother.

At least he didn't get any more 'letter bombs'.

* * *

"You sent him a _howler_? For the love of Merlin mother _why_?" demanded Bill.

Even the twin's hackles were raised the second they realized why Harry had sent them a _howler_ of all things without any real warning. Once they got over the hilarity of how he had insured that the parents in the group would be having a very trying time indeed with how many swear words the man had laced the howler with. It had taken them too many precious moments to realize what he had been slipping in actual howler before he gave up hiding and cheerfully went into some profanity-filled ditty that had Hermione beyond appalled and wide eyed with _recognition_.

"Mum... why did you send a howler?" asked Fred, eyes hurt.

Harry had patiently explained why he left, why he refused to actually settle down with Ginny.

In retrospect, the way he acted around her made far too much sense and made it easier to take the idea that he wasn't interested in her as a lover.

"I'm starting to see why he sent the polite decline to _me_ , rather than to Ginny," said Bill.

Seeing the way they looked at him, Bill continued.

"He openly admitted that he was worried coming back now would take all the attention off of Ginny's big day and that Mum would try to push the two of them together again, even though he made it clear he sees her as a little sister and not as a lover. He even offered to pay for the honeymoon vacation as an apology," said Bill.

Everyone worked that one through their heads, and the twins caught on first from the wince they gave off.

Molly had always wanted to tie Harry to the Weasley family in a more traditional sense. She was old fashioned like that, and had pushed heavily for the two of them to marry.

She was very unhappy with the fact that Harry had left without any warning or even a goodbye.

Ginny had gotten over it...mostly...when Luna delivered the letter explaining why he left as he did. In retrospect she could completely understand not wanting to date someone that by all accounts bore an uncanny resemblance to your own mother. And after some thought could even admit it was easier to see him as an older brother instead of a boyfriend.

She was still hexing him the next time she saw him. He deserved that much. She would just give him a two minute head start to run for it.

Molly huffed.

"I still don't see why it couldn't have worked out between them!"

"Mum... Ginny is like a younger, pure blooded version of Lily Potter," said Charlie slowly. "Besides, we've practically been the closest thing he has to a family since he was eleven. If I had a choice I wouldn't want to date someone that reminded me of you either."

"And from what Luna mentioned, it sounds like he has a new bird to chase after anyway," said Fred cheerfully.

"Makes you wonder what sort of girl he's been chasing after for almost three years now," said George.

* * *

It was Lal's turn to pick the date, and Colonello didn't try to argue that hard about paying for it.

If there was one thing Lal liked about Colonello, he knew better than to treat her as if she were helpless because she was born a woman. If anything he fully expected _her_ to kick _his_ ass because she was better at it.

It was rather nice, actually, to be considered an equal without having to fight for it.

She wouldn't remember the specifics of what happened, just that she woke up in a fairly nice hotel room lying next to Colonello (thankfully with clothes on) after having drank far too much.

She tried to sit up only to wince from the hangover. Today was going to be hell, especially since some higher up was due to show up for an assessment.

"Morning beautiful," he said with a cheeky grin.

"I don't feel beautiful at all," she said with a groan.

"...Would a hangover remedy help?"

"Unless it's some miracle cure guaranteed to kill it, no," said Lal.

He reached for his bag and pulled out a vial.

"Is that a vial?"

"It tastes like shit, but it works. I made sure to grab it the second you said we were going out drinking this time."

Trusting him, she knocked it back and damn near gagged at the taste. It was absolutely disgusting.

Lal blinked for several moments when it kicked in, before looking at what little remained of the contents.

"You could make a fortune selling this to the other officers after a long night of drinking."

"I already do," commented Colonello grinning evilly. "You have no idea how much they positively loathe my high alcohol tolerance when I drink their asses under the table, only to drain their checks dry the next morning selling it to the highest bidder."

Lal snorted, before looking at her outfit.

"Ugh. How much time do we have before the assessment?"

"About two hours."

She only needed one to get ready, and to the surprise of the blond laid back down on his chest.

"Wake me up in an hour then," she said, taking a nap. Just because the worst of her hangover was dealt with didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a lie-in.

Colonello blinked, before cheerfully wrapping his arms around her waist. It felt nice.

* * *

Once they were back on base, Colonello felt an clear sense of dread.

He took _one_ look at the way the higher ups were looking at him and wanted to scream in pure frustration.

"God dammit...not again..." he muttered.

"What is it?"

"I think those assholes know what my real name is. I hate it when I get special treatment for what happened in England."

"How on earth could they possibly know what your real name is? Hell, even I don't know what it is and even your paperwork lists you simply as Colonello Lovegood!"

He snorted at the reminder of that. He had broken into that office one night on a dare and figured what the hell, might as well add a surname. Took the administrators ages to figure out what happened and that only because someone had the bright idea to compare his handwriting. Something about the way he wrote his letters tipping them off.

Luna certainly didn't mind claiming him as her brother.

"Hell if I know! I haven't gone by my real name since I left England and I know I haven't given out more than a hint of what it actually is to Jake and Greg! It's not like I was advertising it!"

Then he paused.

"You didn't happen to mention the scar on my head to anyone who might have clearance, did you?"

"I may have commented on how odd it was that you had a lightning bolt scar on your head, why?"

Colonello groaned.

"God dammit..."

"You can't seriously think they know who you are from something like _that_!" said Lal.

"I can and will, considering what a fuss was made about what created it! There's a reason I wear the headband and it's got nothing to do with keeping the hair out of my face!" said Colonello. He slumped. "And I was really hoping to avoid this bullshit again too."

"It can't be that bad."

Colonello's expression said volumes.

Lal had to take it back by the end of the assessment.

It wasn't bad. It was a complete and utter _disaster_.

The higher ups all took _one_ look at the blond and all gained some rather odd expressions on their faces. Like they were looking at some prized horse they could trot out and show off.

Colonello was visibly unhappy about the whole thing, and Lal had to wonder what he'd do when he finally snapped.

That came when she started hearing some of the more...politically motivated idiots...talking about switching him up with another female officer. Ones who had connections with one idiot or another.

The idea of losing Colonello like that royally pissed her off in a way she couldn't easily describe.

Fortunately, Colonello had a rather effective way of shutting them up.

It was quite interesting to watch.

 _Colonello POV_

God, he hated people who thought they could use him to further their own ends. However he drew the line at separating him from Lal.

With a smile so fake it was obvious he was about to ruin their ambitions, Colonello waltzed up to the idiots.

"Gentlemen, I'm sure you've probably guessed who I am at this point. Let me make one thing abundantly clear, before you get any 'bright ideas' to use me to make yourselves look better. If I find out I've been transferred or end up with a new partner outside of the one I currently have, I have absolutely no issue with resigning from the military entirely and leaving you to explain to your 'friends' exactly what you did to piss me off enough to jump ship to another country and signing up with them," said Colonello far too cheerfully and with so many teeth it was clear he was not joking about this.

Seeing them pale (to the amusement of the other officers who had become rather pissed off about the entire visit) he continued on.

"And let's not forget exactly what I am capable of. Piss me off enough and I'll start making _personal_ calls to people who can and will ruin any ambitions you might have. Do you _really_ want to annoy me to the point I start calling in all the favors people owe me, or are willing to help with just so they can say I owe them one?"

Colonello _hated_ special treatment because of that damn fame. However he was comfortable enough as he was now that he wasn't ashamed of the idea of abusing that same fame in order to get people to leave him the hell out of someone else's attempts to use him for their own gain.

So the idea of angering the Man-Who-Conquered enough that he would _leave_ the military (thus taking him far out of their personal reach, as he was English) or using that same status _against_ them and ruining their political careers forever was not something they were willing to contemplate.

Colonello was decidedly more cheerful when they left, especially when the assessment failed to result in a promotion for him, or a new partner.

"How?" demanded Lal.

"You remember that crap back in England? I was the poor bastard stuck _ending_ it and when I killed the asshole causing the problems it got me a lot of favors and allies. If they tried to use me for their own gain, then I have no issue with making it backfire spectacularly against them in very short order," said Colonello grinning. "Besides, if they really pissed me off all I would have to do is go back to England and they wouldn't be able to touch me and they know it."

Lal shook her head in amusement. There were times when her favorite student surprised her and this was definitely one of them.


	7. Chapter 7

"You've been hiding for a while. Don't you think it's time to come clean where you are?" asked Luna.

Colonello looked at her, before rubbing the back of his head.

"I'd rather wait until Lal agrees to be my girlfriend," he admitted.

"Have you even _asked_ her yet?" asked Luna pointedly.

"What are the odds she'd agree to it?" said Colonello.

Luna tapped her foot impatiently, and gave him a Look. He slumped.

"I'll ask her on our next leave," he said.

"Good. You deserve _some_ happiness for yourself," said Luna firmly. "Also, Ginny's wedding went off without a hitch and she loved the present you gave her. They understand why you avoided the entire thing, since it could have gone badly if you showed up."

Let the gossip circles speculate on why he avoided it. He had made it clear he didn't want to ruin her big day or take the spotlight off his little sister. That was all he cared about and as long as she was fine with it, then he could live with that.

Lal, when he finally worked up the courage to ask her, had an amusing expression on her face as she said...

"It's about damn time, idiot."

Colonello blinked owlishly (he learned it from Hedwig, so he knew it was good if the fact Lal was trying not to laugh was any indication) as he slowly asked... "Is that a yes?"

"You are the least annoying male I have dated, and at least I know being around you is tolerable. However sleeping together is still firmly off the table for a least six months."

"I can live with that, kora!" said Colonello with a wide smile.

Lal had to blink at how bright it was.

"Just for that, you're paying for next time."

"Any preferences?"

"I'm giving you free reign to cook in my kitchen," deadpanned Lal. The dismayed look on his face was hilarious.

"Your kitchen _barely_ qualifies as one, and I've seen what you think is acceptable as food."

"Well if you had a proper apartment or a house, we'd stay there," said Lal unrepentant.

Colonello grimaced.

"Why waste money on an apartment I'm not really going to use since I spend most of my time on base?" he countered.

"Again, if you had a proper apartment _we_ would stay there instead," said Lal.

It took Colonello a few moments to catch on, if the owlish blink he gave was any indication.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Do you think _I_ enjoy spending all my time on base? If we're going to be a proper boyfriend and girlfriend I'd like some privacy. Besides, this means I don't have to suffer the mess hall's idea of food anymore," said Lal with a grimace.

Colonello's expression said volumes of how much he enjoyed that food as well.

"You had me at not having to suffer a cold breakfast again," said Colonello grimacing.

"So what are you planning to do for your birthday next month?"

"Uh...nothing? I don't really celebrate it outside the times Jake and Greg dragged me off to go drinking."

Lal could already see she had the perfect gift for the blond. Besides, she wanted to put that stamina to good use for once. Odds are he wouldn't complain and he was rather easy to get along with once you got past the defenses he put around himself.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the newest batch of trainees, which included four new females who were all more 'attractive' than she was. She had seen the looks they had been giving him and she wasn't sharing, dammit.

Why did the blond have to be so easy going and polite? It was like he was catnip for the girls on the base!

* * *

Luna cheerfully walked into the most dangerous prank shop in Diagon.

"Luna!" said George with enthusiasm.

"What brings you to our illustrious shop?" asked Fred.

"Harry finally agreed to let me tell you all where he's been hiding. And he has a new girlfriend...took him forever to work up the courage to ask her," said Luna dreamily.

Dead silence.

"Seriously?" asked Fred with hope.

"Do you mind if we tell the others?" asked George.

"I'll tell you where he is, but I'm not ruining his prank. You would be hard pressed to recognize what Harry looks like now."

Namely because if you looked at Lal Mirch from behind you'd assume it was Harry. Only Luna was aware of the fact he had permanently dyed his hair blond, and Lal was skinny enough from behind that it was highly likely they'd assume he grew his hair out.

She couldn't wait to see the reaction to the fact he had grown into himself when he left.

With the knowledge that Luna was _finally_ going to let the family in on where Harry had vanished to, it didn't take much to gather the remaining family.

Which was why Luna was happily prepared with a camera to catch their expression when they met Harry's new girlfriend.

* * *

 _With Lal and Colonello_

"Ugh... I need a drink."

"Why?"

"The colonel on base clued me into the fact that there's apparently some secret society that uses actual magic," said Lal.

Colonello was quiet.

"Why now?" he asked.

"What?"

"Why would he clue you in _now_? I mean last I checked they only let majors or above know and that was after they proved they could keep their mouth _and_ weren't about to start a witch hunt."

"Colonello...is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Colonello winced.

"It's less of a secret society and more of a sub culture living side by side with the regular one?" he offered sheepishly.

"You're a witch?"

"Wizard, actually."

"And you were going to tell me when?" asked Lal.

This explained more than it didn't, like those weird herbal remedies he knew or why he could call an _owl_ of all things to him to deliver letters instead of the regular post.

"...Before we got married?" said Colonello sheepishly. "I don't really like to talk about it, and I haven't really used magic for years now."

Lal looked at him, hard.

"That small skirmish you were involved in. It was a fight between magicals wasn't it?"

Colonello shrunk in on himself. She sighed.

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning."

"I'll need to be very, very drunk before I get into even _half_ of it, and it might be easier if I just showed you how bad it was," said Colonello.

"Showed me?"

"We have these artifacts called pensieves. You can put memories in there and it's like you're in the middle of it but you can't influence anything. Kinda like a movie where you're an observer, really," said Colonello.

"Which would be easier, this 'pensieve' thing, or actually talking?"

"Short term, pensieve. Long term... no one really wanted to talk to me about it and they all seem to forget that out of everyone involved I had lost the most and gained almost nothing worthwhile in return," said Colonello tiredly. "I lost everyone directly connected to my parents, my uncles, my childhood... I wasn't even allowed to have a normal school life like everyone else because of this shit. And then they all expect me to 'do my duty' and become a magical cop within a year or two after the war because they wanted to put me on another pedestal rather than leave me the hell alone."

"Does this have anything to do with the way the higher ups look at you when they come to base? Or why they all backed off when you threatened to leave?" asked Lal.

"Yes."

"...Show me the parts you think are important. We can work back from those."

Colonello looked at her.

"I told you before, idiota, I'm not about to let someone with PTSD suffer alone. I've seen what happens when they don't reach out for help in time."

"What?"

"I had an uncle who was a soldier. There were the good days, which was what inspired me to join the military in the first place... then there was that one bad day."

"What happened?"

"The memories got to be too much, and he forgot to leave the key to the gun cabinet someplace he couldn't find it or reach it easily later."

Colonello was silent. He didn't need to be a mind reader to guess what happened.

"Is this why you looked so relieved when I gave you the key to the gun safe I have in the apartment the first time you caught me dissembling one of the guns after a nightmare?" he asked carefully.

Lal said nothing, but the silence was damning.

Colonello wrapped his arms around her.

"I'd never take the coward's way out. If I ever did then I'd be giving the bastards who made my life hell as a kid the satisfaction of knowing they won in the end."

"Which is why I don't mind the fact you have so many damn puzzles around the house," said Lal.

After she found him taking apart the rifle to clear his head after a nightmare, Colonello had gone out and brought back a _ton_ of puzzles to put together. Both the flat, cardboard kind and the ones designs as a mental exercise. He had also given her the key to the gun safe, since he didn't really _need_ a gun to be dangerous in the first place.

That was what hand to hand and wandless magic was for.

He could openly admit that meeting Lal had been a turning point in his life. She didn't give a damn about his fame or any number of things that had annoyed him so much when it came to other people. She was a very pragmatic woman with an adorable personality (in his opinion...others would call her a Tsundere through and through), and the fact she acted as a steady rock for him to fall back on helped a lot.

"You are a stubborn bastard, and I'm glad for it. Otherwise I have the distinct feeling we never would have met," said Lal flatly.

When Lal got through the memories, the expression on her face was almost unreadable. However Colonello only relaxed when he saw understanding, not pity or sympathy.

He had lived. That was all she really gave a damn about, and she wasn't about to pull back her punches just because he had a shit childhood and adolescent years. He was still her idiot student who needed someone he could trust when the memories got to be too much. Someone who could kick his ass and remind him of the here and now, not the past.

She was not the feminine type of woman. She was a battle-forged and a total hard ass type of woman. She didn't have a 'curvy' body or a pleasant personality, and if anything she was a tomboy save for the rare, rare times she felt like dressing up.

And he was absolutely okay with that.

He also couldn't wait for her to meet his adopted family, just to see their reactions to meeting Lal Mirch as a potential new addition.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Just imagining the looks I'm going to be getting when I introduce you to my family next week. I fully plan on enjoying the fact they might actually mistake you for me if we plan this right."

"What."

"You saw my memories. Odds are Luna won't have told them I permanently dyed my hair blond or that I finally hit that growth spurt. They'll just think I grew my hair out like Bill did if they come in and see you from the back," said Colonello grinning mischievously.

"What do I get out of this?"

"You get to see my ex use me for target practice until she runs out of steam or someone calms her down once she shows up."

Lal smirked viciously at that. She saw what Ginny looked like, and after comparing the photos of Lily she could tell why Colonello hadn't felt comfortable dating her.

"This I can't wait to see. But which brother died?"

"Percy. Penelope was pregnant, but she pulled through. Molly damn near adopted her after, especially since he died saving Fred. Oh, and when you meet Ron I won't try to stop you from punching his face in," said Colonello.

"Good. I hate spineless cowards who run away at the first hint of trouble," said Lal growling.

Ron's behavior hadn't exactly _endeared_ her to him, after seeing the memories. The look on Colonello... _Harry's_ face when Ron turned on him so easily because of his petty jealous...made her somewhat murderous.

* * *

It was the sound of deep, belly-aching laughter that alerted the Weasleys to the fact that they had been pranked.

The _woman_ who looked very annoyed with them for mistaking her for Harry turned to glare at the one laughing his ass off.

"Idiot student, it wasn't that funny!"

"You kidding? That was fucking hilarious! The look on Mione's face when she realized you were a girl!" he said, howling.

"Harry?" said Ginny in shock.

Harry had changed completely from who he had been in England.

It was like a load had been taken off his shoulders, and he had almost outgrown Ron in the height department. His inky black hair had turned to a bright, almost sunny yellow and he was wearing fitted glasses that brought out the green of his eyes. His skin had a healthy, tanned look to it and he had filled out in the shoulders. He wore casual military fatigues, and there was an easy-going aura around him now, rather than the tired and resigned one he had in England. Not to mention that his blond hair was being held back by a camouflage bandanna that neatly hid the scar he hated so much.

"...You're blond," commented Hermione after a moment.

"Permanent hair dye potion. You really think I'd be stupid enough to keep identifying markers like black hair or green eyes?" said Harry smirking.

"Why blond?" asked Fred.

"Easier to temporarily dye it into other colors. Bright hair takes to color the best. Besides, none of you would have expected me to go blond considering how much I hate Malfoy," said Harry.

"So...is this the girlfriend Luna mentioned?" asked George.

"Lal Mirch, his superior officer and partner," said Lal, holding out her hand. She took vindictive satisfaction in damn near crushing Fred's hand when he went to shake it.

"Superior officer? Harry, what did you go and do now?!" said Hermione.

"Went and joined the Italian equivalent of the American Navy Seals," said Harry easily. "Lal had to trick me into getting a promotion so I could legitimately take officer training. Apparently she was annoyed that I kept throwing the recommendation letters for officer school away without bothering to consider it."

"Harry, I'm going to be nice. I'll give you a two minute head start when we leave the restaurant," said Ginny.

"Yeah, that sounds about fair," said Harry easily.

"Uncle Harry!"

"Hey cubs!" said Harry, easily bending down to catch Teddy and Victoria.

Lal had to admit, it was almost overwhelming. However once she learned to ignore the magic use, the fact that the Weasleys were a very _close knit_ family and wanted to know practically everything about how the met and what it had taken for them to get together, it was nice. The easy-going acceptance of the fact he was dating her and the light needling was somewhat fun.

The fact she got to enjoy seeing her idiot student dodge and avoid his ex-girlfriend's casting for leaving like he had (she kept throwing advice to her partner while he dodged, and snarked when he narrowly avoided a hit...she was an instant hit with the twins for it) was bonus.


	8. Chapter 8

Perhaps it was a sign of things to come, or perhaps it was Potter Luck kicking in with all the grace of a rampaging bull.

But the beginning of the end for Lal and Colonello's time in COMSUBIN started during a rather disastrous mission. It had started simple enough. Go in, clear out the insurgents and blow the place to hell and back.

Except Lal somehow ended up captured, unable to defend herself and Colonello was too far away to help her, chained a wall. He hated being caged, but this was a thousand times worse.

Then it happened. Right as they were about to start the torture session, Lal erupted into wild and uncontrolled blue fire not too dissimilar to what Hermione used to conjure in those little glass jars. There were hints of violet and indigo in their depths though.

The man in front of her went stiff and it was pretty obvious he was dead.

"You know what, fuck it," announced Colonello, since there were still enemies.

His eyes began to glow from an inner fire, and he easily snapped the restraints on him. His hands became wreathed in fire that were shaped like a predatory bird's claws as he ripped throats out left and right. He easily scooped an exhausted Lal up and carried her out of the base on his back, killing anyone and anything that got in his way.

He was not in the mood to play around, and right now he was in full Black Battle Fury.

"Cole..." she whispered, barely awake.

"Shh... I got you beautiful. They won't touch us while I'm with you," he told her. Feeling her relax into his back, Colonello easily made it to a safe point he had made earlier and waited until he was sure she would be fine before calling the idiot in charge of the mission.

Lal had never argued against his paranoia of always making a bolt hole before a mission. This was the first time he had used it though.

Colonello's temper, already riled from having to go into a Battle Fury, was sorely tested when they got the grim news that Lal wouldn't be allowed to renew her contract at the end of the year.

"What? Why?!" demanded Lal. She wasn't crying, but that was a near thing.

"That fire you used to kill the insurgent are called Dying Will Flames. It's not worth the headaches of having to deal with the Cosa Nostra sniffing around the second they find out you're an Active Rain," said Federico apologetically. "It's nothing personal, but it's standard protocol to let anyone who goes Active loose just in case."

"...So just to be clear, anyone with an active Soul Aspect isn't allowed to stay because they don't want to deal with the mafia," said Colonello slowly. He was clearly pissed off and didn't bother trying to hide it.

Federico blinked, before he remembered Colonello was a wizard.

"Be glad you're not an Amber or an Amethyst Aspect. The mafia will kill to get their hands on you if that's the case," he commented.

Colonello grimaced.

"Then there should be no problem letting _both_ of us go, right?" asked Colonello.

Federico looked at him oddly...right up until Colonello's hands were wreathed in blue and heavily streaked violet fire.

"You're an Active? Since when?"

"After the final battle. Damaged my primary aspect pretty bad, but I can use my secondaries just fine. I just don't broadcast it," said Colonello. "That...and I made sure to hide it was active in the first place."

Aspects were a big deal in the magical enclaves for some reason. If you went Active, then people tended to treat you according to what the color was. After reading up even a fraction of the bullshit past actives had to deal with, Colonello had gone out of his way to find a way to hide it. Like hell was he going to give those morons yet another reason to treat him differently!

"You can hide it?" said Lal hopefully.

"It took me nearly two long years to find a way to hide it, since everyone assumed that the blip on the scan was from something I got hit with during the battle. Unfortunately by the time I can get you something, the contract would already be up," said Colonello apologetically. "But it would keep the mafia from bothering you further."

Federico eyed the two of them, before sighing.

"I'm sorry it had to happen this way."

"It's something that happens to all Actives, not just us right?" asked Colonello. Federico nodded. "Then we're good. It's not the end of the world, and maybe if we hide long enough we can re-enlist or something."

"Good luck with that," said Federico, and he meant it. Odds were the higher ups wouldn't care so long as they didn't have to deal with the mafia after two Actives, if Colonello really did have a way to hide it.

Losing two good soldiers over something as stupid as this was not something they were happy about.

Lal was so blatantly pissed about the whole thing that Colonello didn't mind being used as her venting target.

But even his patience had limits.

"Let me go!" she snarled, pinned to the floor.

"Nope," said Colonello, eyes sparkling with intent. Before she even had a chance to do more than growl, he seized forward and kissed her.

Lal's eyes widened, before a growl of a different sort came from her throat.

"Bedroom?" he asked cheerfully.

"Get your ass in here and start taking your clothes off, idiot," she snapped.

Colonello's grin was wide and mischievous. He certainly hadn't complained when Lal decided to change their relationship to a more physical one on his birthday. She had laughed after, mostly at the shocked look on his face when she initiated it...and lost any complaints she had about magic when he gave her a potion that got rid of the limp.

She had absolutely zero complaints about his stamina.

 _Some time later..._

"Ugh. I can't believe all the crap I have to go through now that I'm an Active Rain. I keep getting these unsubtle hints about joining a famiglia just because I have Flames!" said Lal.

"Welcome to my world. Why do you think I was trying to stay under the radar so much?" commented Colonello.

"If I have to deal with one more Sky flaring around me I am going to punch someone!"

That was really the most annoying part of it. Apparently she was so strong that a number of 'Skies' kept tracking her down and flaring around her, trying to tempt her into showing interest. All it did was royally piss her off.

Colonello wrapped his arms around her tighter. In response he let his own Flames out, allowing the tranquility aspect of his Rain to curl around his girlfriend. It helped, a little.

Lal was anything but a normal Rain. If anything he was more surprised her Cloud and Mist Flames (he had shown her how magicals tested for what aspects an Active had, revealing she had two secondaries) were hidden by her Rain.

She cuddled into his side.

"Why is it every time you do that I just feel like you're wrapping me in the world's best blanket on a cold day?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Beats me," said Colonello. He let her fall asleep on his side...if he were so inclined he could easily scoop her up and carry her into the bedroom to get some proper sleep. She wasn't that heavy.

So it was with little amusement when Lal got an invitation to the "strongest seven".

Considering her foul mood, she went just to see what it was about...and came back with hackles already raised.

"Bad?"

"If I didn't need a job until you find a way to hide our signatures from those who can sense that sort of thing, I would leave and never come back," said Lal venomously.

"Ah. Bad."

Lal _hated_ being dependent on his bank account, and while hers wasn't exactly strapped for cash, it would disappear rather quickly if she wasn't careful.

Colonello never brought it up, as he honestly didn't care. Lal wanted to be useful, to keep even a small amount of independence. It was just part of who she was and he was fine with that. She was a proud woman, and the idea of having to rely on her boyfriend pissed her off to no end.

"So, pack for a trip then?" he asked.

Lal nodded miserably.

"I think the worst was having to be around the only _known_ female in the room. I swear there was something about her that made my skin crawl."

Colonello winced with sympathy, before he brought something up to make Lal's day.

"And if I were to tell you that I finally have another suppression bracelet ready, just for you?"

Lal paused in her packing, turned and kissed him on the mouth.

"Thank god! The sooner I can go back to being a normal soldier the happier I'll be!"

"Worst comes to worse I'll cast a fidelius on the fact we're Actives. Or just extend the one I have already up to include you," said Colonello.

"Fidelius?"

Colonello nodded, having read up on the formerly obscure charm to the point he could almost literally cast it in his sleep.

"Basically it hides secrets really, really well. For example you know how I haven't gone by my real name in over five years?"

She nodded.

"The fidelius charm would make it damn near impossible for anyone to associate the name 'Colonello' with 'Harry Potter' or any of my 'titles' unless I tell them myself. So if I were to hide the fact that 'Lal Mirch is Flame Active', then the only way anyone would be able to remember it would be if you told them yourself. That plus the suppression bracelet which obscures the detection of that sort of thing and no one will ever need to know."

"That is seriously useful."

"Great for hiding locations too. I can literally hide a house in plain side and you wouldn't be able to perceive it was even there unless the secret keeper told you."

Lal snuggled into his hold. It had become so natural to her that she didn't even think about it anymore.

Their relationship was built on the simple principle of 'no expectations' and trust.

Neither of them particularly cared to dig too deeply into the other's past, unless they felt like sharing. Any accomplishments or preconceptions due to social norms was cast out when they were together. They simply accepted each other as they were, no questions asked.

It was a surprisingly freeing concept, and Lal liked the fact Colonello trusted her to be an independent woman who could fight her own battles, but wasn't afraid to ask for help when she needed it.

Just as he found it relaxing that she didn't know or care about the fame he had lived with since he was eleven, or the fact he was actually a noble from really old money and large bank account. She just saw her idiot student who despite the cheerful exterior desperately needed someone he could just _lean_ on and not have to deal with the high expectations everyone shoved on him. She never treated him like glass or like something she idolized for circumstances beyond his control.

Colonello's unspoken intrusion was met with mixed results. Renato was very much an Alpha Male and didn't particularly appreciate the inclusion of a second one that practically ignored his barbs. Fon was pleasant enough, and the two of them immediately got along over something Lal found completely ridiculous... the fact Colonello had a surprisingly large collection of exotic teas.

Seeing the Chinese man practically light up the second he found that out was fairly amusing, especially since Colonello had brought a few with him and knew how to brew them correctly.

Viper though... Viper gave him a mixed feeling like he should know them.

Skull didn't even hesitate the second Colonello stepped in and acted as an unspoken shield against the "World's Greatest Hit Man". The poor Cloud was the butt of Renato's frustrations and it showed. He could handle the light ribbing Colonello gave him, but Renato was a complete _ass_.

But it was Luce that made his hackles go up and he didn't particularly know _why_ until she flared.

"Oh you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me. A fucking Sky? Really?" said Colonello in absolute disgust.

That got a rather...mixed...reaction from the others.

"You have a problem with Skies?" asked Renato, an odd tone in his voice.

"I was caught in the fucking middle between two of them having a pissing contest over the Elements in a certain area, and one of them was already trying to kill me because I survived an attack my parents didn't. The other was a senile old bastard who actually believed in that greater good crap and had a habit of flaring towards everyone to make them actually take his word like gospel," said Colonello. "This was during my teenage years and I was stuck in close proximity to the second for _years_."

Seeing the open sympathy on the faces of Renato and Fon, they said nothing.

"I take it they both tried to force you into a bond?" asked Fon calmly.

Colonello nodded.

"My primary is heavily damaged from it, and I've been running on my secondaries for five years now."

Colonello manifested his Cloud-streaked Rain for them, and they gave him a look of acknowledgment.

At the very least it got Luce to stop flaring. The look of horrified sympathy annoyed him, but that was about it.

"Thank god. Just being near that made my skin crawl," muttered Lal, eyeing Luce with open distaste.

That got an odd look from Fon, but he kept his silence.

"So is this your boyfriend?" asked Renato, changing the subject.

"Yes, so keep your hands to yourself and maybe I won't cut them off," said Lal flatly.

The sharp smirk on Colonello's face did not bode well to what he would do if he caught Renato doing more than flirting with his girlfriend.


	9. Chapter 9

"How are you hiding your Flames?" demanded Viper with intent.

Colonello blinked owlishly and slowly put his drink down.

"How do you know I'm hiding them?"

"Because until you proved to Renato and the others that you were an active Rain with a strong Cloud, we thought you were a Latent," said Viper bluntly.

Colonello pulled back his left sleeve to reveal a simple, if somewhat stylish bracelet.

"Flame suppression bracelet and creative use of Mist," he said simply. "Getting one made for Lal was a bit trickier, but once things calm down we can go back to the military and no one will know we're active unless we _let_ them know."

Viper looked openly interested hearing that, as did Verde when he heard what they were talking about.

"You have a flame suppression bracelet that effective?" he said with intent.

"They had no idea I was even Active until I demonstrated I could manifest them. I wasn't about to let them kick Lal out alone," said Colonello.

"How did you know to hide it before now?" asked Viper intently.

Colonello's snort was derisive.

"Like I was going to let the fact I have Active Aspects give the sycophants even more reason to piss me off. I'm just lucky I realized what happened before anyone found out. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have people immediately assume things about you just because of your Aspect type?"

The second anyone found out he had Cloud flames they'd treat him like a feral beast, and Rain flames would have gotten him stuck doing diplomatic duties which he _loathed_.

The two snorted as well.

"You mean how Mists are supposedly treacherous and untrustworthy?" said Viper annoyed.

"Or Lightnings are supposed to act as meat shields and attract all the attention?" said Verde in equal disgust.

"Or how Storms are supposed to be brash, hot headed and jump into things without thinking?" added Fon with some annoyance.

"Exactly. No way in hell was I getting stuck as a diplomat when I can barely tolerate my own countrymen. Just because I have Rain flames doesn't mean I enjoy acting the peacekeeper. And Clouds just get treated like feral beasts if they so much as _look_ like they're getting irritable."

"I have some Oolong tea if you're interested," said Fon, changing the subject.

Colonello perked up.

He was British. He liked his tea, though he wouldn't say no to a good strong coffee.

"Now about that suppression bracelet," said Viper with intent.

"I can get you one if you're really interested. You too, Verde. Maybe you can figure out how to make the refinement process go a bit faster or something."

Seeing the two perked up, they quickly switched to suspicious.

"What do you want in return?" asked Viper.

"I have the distinct feeling that if I tried to brush off repaying me later you wouldn't believe me, so let's just say you two would owe me a favor to be paid back later. Nothing major, though," he added.

That seemed to satisfy them.

"Been meaning to give Skull one anyway, since the poor guy was a civilian before this."

"Before, you called Flames 'Aspects'," said Fon after a moment.

"It's the name I knew them by. Didn't know there was another sub culture based around them, or that they'd gone into the underworld," said Colonello.

Fon's eyes flashed, as if confirming his private thoughts.

"Hogwarts, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang?" he asked evenly.

"Hogwarts, Gryffindor," said Colonello immediately.

Viper's breath hitched a bit hearing those words.

Fon's eyes closed.

"Then the two Skies fighting over you were Dumbledore and Voldemort."

Colonello said nothing. His silence was answer enough, as was the feeling of anger hearing those names again.

"How do you know about the magical enclaves anyway?"

"My fourth cousin once removed went to school there."

Colonello slowly lowered his drink and stared at Fon in disbelief.

" _Cho_ is your cousin?!" he blurted out.

Fon blinked at that.

"How did you know who I was talking about?"

"I was two years under her, and I was part of the DA," said Colonello. "Cedric was a good man and if Potter hadn't been such an idiot and suggested they both took the cup, then he might have made it out of that tournament alive."

Fon's eyes glinted.

"I have heard many things about Harry Potter. From what my cousin said he is an honorable man. It's a pity he went missing."

From the way Fon spoke of him, despite never having met the man, it was clear he respected the missing wizard.

"I can't imagine surviving the killing curse twice would have done anything good to his aspect. From what I heard he might have been a Cloudy Sky," said Colonello, changing the subject.

"I suspected he was a Sky as well. It would explain a few things," said Fon, changing the subject.

Colonello had given Fon all the hints he was going to get at the moment. If the Storm figured out the truth, then he would accept that. If not, then it wasn't his problem.

He had changed his name and a few of his features for a _reason_ after all.

Skull accepted the flame suppression bracelet gratefully. Having to deal with Skies trying to force him to join their famiglia was very annoying, as Lal could attest. Especially since he was so obviously a civilian.

* * *

"I can't take it anymore. Luce, if you don't knock it off with the flaring then at some point I am going to snap and punch you in the face," said Lal irate.

Luce jerked back as if shocked.

"You knew I was..."

"Your Sky feels like fire ants crawling all over my skin, as if they're ready to bite," said Lal annoyed beyond belief. She was like a wolf, pacing and ready to lunge at someone's throat.

She only remotely calmed down when Colonello came into the room and she curled into his side.

"Your Rain flames are ridiculously effective on her," said Renato.

"It really doesn't help she has a Cloud secondary," commented Colonello. "Or that Luce keeps riling her up."

Fon eyed the way Lal was acting around Colonello, and the comment he made about his 'primary aspect' being damaged by the actions of Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"Colonello, exactly when is your birthday?" asked Fon calmly, as if trying to figure something out.

"July thirty-first," said Lal.

Fon's eyes closed, as if putting the last puzzle piece together.

"I see. A permanent hair dye potion then? With colored contacts?" he asked, as if commenting on the weather.

Colonello didn't even try to hide it.

"Easiest way to get rid of the fans was to change things they look for," agreed Colonello.

"Am I missing something?" asked Renato, looking between Fon and Colonello.

"I believe there's a very simple reason why Lal is reacting badly to Luce's Flames. She's already bonded to another Sky and Luce is poaching."

"Bullshit. I told you it was damaged after what happened," said Colonello without thinking.

"And it's been almost seven years since that last battle. That's more than enough time for it to heal, at least enough to form new bonds," said Fon evenly.

Renato blinked, before he looked at the two Rains with new eyes.

"Are you telling me that blond idiot is a _Sky_?"

"A damaged Sky, but still a Sky," said Fon.

"How on earth can a Sky be damaged?" demanded Verde.

"Constant pressure to form a Guardian bond between two very antagonistic and older Skies, on top of the fact this fool was on the front lines of a fight where any Element he bonded with would have been targeted specifically would do it," said Fon. "And that's not getting into what happened before he killed off the broken Sky that caused so much trouble."

Martyring yourself was a good way to do a lot of damage to your flames, and if the poor fool came back would have boosted their purity _immensely_.

"Wait, what do you mean by poaching?" said Lal confused.

"Does being around your boyfriend create a warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest that feels like you've come home?" asked Fon, smiling.

She blinked at him with wide eyes.

"That's a basic description of what harmony is and why it's so coveted. Luce keeps trying to lure you into her own Sky, except you're already bonded to Colonello...which is basically like rubbing a cat's fur the wrong direction. You instinctively _know_ she's trying to take you away from your home and it's driving your instincts into overdrive to make her stop," explained Fon patiently.

"...That explains so damn much, like why being around her makes all sorts of alpha male tendencies pop up, despite the fact I've been dosing myself with my own Rain for years," said Colonello, shaking his head.

"You've been dosing yourself with your Rain flames? How?" asked Renato baffled.

"He quite likely has PTSD from the terrorist attacks a few years back. He was one of the main fighters who ended it and was the one who took out the corrupted Sky causing most of the deaths. I've never heard of someone dosing _themselves_ with tranquility though," said Fon.

"Made it easier to get half of Luna's cryptic speech and riddles though," said Colonello cheerfully.

It was hard not to understand Luna-speak when you were half-'stoned' from tranquility. He suspected she was a Rainy-Mist, because it would explain far too much, or a Rain-Cloud, because she was ridiculously possessive of him.

"How do we know you're a Sky for sure?" asked Renato.

Colonello thought that over for a moment, before shrugging. He was unaware of the fact that Skull had walked into the room, as had Viper when he took off the suppression bracelet and just let his Flames drift freely.

Hearing the sharp gasp of shock from Viper and to a lesser extent Skull had him turning to look at them. It almost made him forget the odd blossom of warmth in his chest that didn't originate from holding Lal close.

"I take it back... he's definitely a Sky," said Renato, grimacing. It wasn't from the fact Colonello was trying to force a bond with him, but more to do with the fact that as a Sun he could feel the full extent of damage to the man's Sky.

Fon's hands clenched, before forcibly relaxing...he was clearly not happy.

Colonello slipped the bracelet back on, and the worst of it abated. He carefully withdrew his flames back inside his soul, though he somehow managed to drag Skull and Viper in with it.

Odd.

Viper looked particularly twitchy about the whole thing, and it was only because it had been an accident that kept them from being too upset.

"So...is Colonello your real name?" asked Renato.

"Nope. Just the one I picked to get as far away from my ex-girlfriend as possible. Not like they were looking for a blue-eyed blond when they knew me best as a green-eyed, raven haired runt. And you aren't getting the real one out of me until I know for sure you're not going to accidentally let it slip to the wrong people. I _hate_ my fans."

"What, were you some sort of fashion model or something?" snarked Renato.

"More like a war hero who's fans were all too happy to demand he protect them, but didn't bother to support him," grimaced Fon. "And then take offense when he didn't fit into the narrow box they tried to shove him in after."

"War hero?" repeated Luce, horrified.

"I can confirm that part, actually. Only time you see PTSD as bad as what he has is from those who were in the thick of long-term combat and torture," grimaced Lal. The fact Colonello's arms wrapped around her tighter said volumes of how much he didn't like talking about it.

In the dark of the night, when he was really, really drunk, sometimes he would tell her things. She was the only one he trusted himself to vent to, and she took the knowledge of that fact very seriously, all while holding him close.

"He seems fine to me," commented Renato.

"You're talking to the master of bottling up my real feelings until they explode. Often with violent and terrifying results. Imagine a Cloud who tallies up the bad things only to come after your ass with an unrelenting fury and an extreme pain tolerance," said Colonello bluntly.

 _That_ got Renato to wince.


	10. Chapter 10

Fon was the first one to figure out what was going on when he realized Colonello was acting off, for lack of a better term. It wasn't that his behavior was entirely different from normal or that he gave off a major sign something was wrong, but the look in his eyes was all the warning he needed.

Skull, who was just finishing up some repairs in the garage, jumped about a foot in the air when Colonello was sent flying towards the door.

"Fon, what..."

"Get Lal, _now_. And tell the others that they aren't to use Flames unless absolutely necessary... we really don't need him going into a Black Rage when he's not fully awake."

Skull to his credit didn't argue. He _bolted_ and went straight to the room the Rains had been sharing.

Fon kept his eyes firmly on Colonello, and kept him at arm's distance, but not so far that it would take too long to reach the other man if he started charging up his magic.

Sensing Lal behind him (among others, but he was only waiting for her) Fon closed in, giving Lal all the opportunity she would need to charge behind and do whatever she needed to snap him out of the flashback.

He watched as Lal calmly ducked under Colonello's arms, grab the outstretched left and with the ease of long practice laid him flat on his ass on the ground.

The jolt and familiar feel of his girlfriend made him pause long enough for her to kiss him.

"Snap out of it, idiot student. You're safe," she said firmly, in her best trainer voice.

Colonello had to blink several times, before he slowly rubbed his eyes.

"Lal? Shit, did it happen again?"

"What exactly was that about?" demanded Renato.

"He was in a flashback. Fortunately he's managed to train himself not to use magic or Flames unless someone uses them first," said Lal, helping him up now that he was fully awake again.

Skull looked at Fon oddly.

"How did you know not to use Flames around him?"

"I didn't. However magic often takes the form of different lights before they make contact, and his brain would have immediately jumped to foreign magic being used against him if he saw Flames, since I know for a fact that two of ours would have set him off. The killing curse isn't too dissimilar to the color of Lightning Flames, for instance," said Fon.

"Is this going to be a regular thing?" demanded Renato.

"He's gotten better. Your best bet is to simply pin him down or use straight hand to hand," said Lal. "What I want to know is what the hell set it off again. He normally has a warning before it's about to hit."

Colonello sat up, and rubbed the back of his head before mumbling something.

"What was that?" said Lal.

"I said I thought I felt Dumbledore nearby. Considering he did more damage to me that that fucker Riddle ever did, I wasn't about to let any of his Elements try to cage me again," said Colonello embarrassed. "Which is weird because I was _there_ when that asshole took a swan dive off the tower."

His head suddenly whipped towards the door, _seconds_ before Luce walked in.

"What's going on? No one would tell me what all the fuss was about."

"Oh. So that's what set it off."

As one, the others turned to look at Luce, then at Colonello.

"Ah. Perhaps it was close proximity to another Sky that you are unfamiliar with that set off your flashback," said Fon diplomatically.

"Uh no, she feels like a stronger, female version of Dumbledore except her Flames aren't filled with self-delusion about her actual power or ability," said Colonello without a hint of hesitation or remorse.

Luce felt almost _exactly_ like Albus Dumbledore, except she didn't have a narcissistic god complex, nor did she harbor any delusions of being the only one who had all the answers. There were plenty of other Skies out there with equal or more power (though not Flame purity, but more than enough to hold their own against her famiglia) to keep that in check.

Which meant she was a firm believer of the bullshit "greater good" theory and considering the sort of group Lal was in, was likely leading them into a trap that would have long-reaching consequences.

It would explain a _lot_.

"You're telling me _Luce_ reminds you of that delusional Sky Latent?" said Viper alarmed.

"Really? None of you find this whole 'strongest seven' bullshit suspicious in the least? Never mind the missions, which any competent team of Flames users could pull off, but the fact they're lumping seven of the strongest Flames together when they've had limited to no interaction or teamwork between them previously...how does that not scream 'trap with long term and annoying consequences' to you?" said Colonello shaking his head. "And then there's the Sky who's expression says far too much about how she clearly knows _something_ she's not going to tell us until after the trap itself is going to be sprung and how she clearly believes in that greater good bullshit to the point she's given up trying to get out of it!"

Observing Luce said volumes of the truth to his words. It was impossible to deny the fact Luce _knew_ something she wasn't telling and that she had made her peace with the fact she was going to screw them all over, likely _before_ she had even met them!

"Luce...what aren't you telling us?" asked Renato slowly, dangerously. He did _not_ like being screwed over by the people he worked for. It made him murderous.

Luce kept silent, not willing to admit anything.

"Probably something to do with the fact that there's actual truth to the old legends of the seven strongest aspects being given powerful artifacts that turn back the clock and curse them with almost immortal bodies of children," commented Colonello yawning.

Luce stared at him in shock.

"What?" said Colonello defensively. "Binns is boring as fuck and it was easier to get Hermione to shut up about studying for that damn exam if I had an actual history book in my hands. There were more than a few books about something called the Arcobaleno in the history section."

That sent a shiver of recognition through the mafia raised Flames.

"Did you just say _Arcobaleno_? As in the seven strongest infants that are cursed every generation to represent the Flames of the Sky?" hissed Renato. "That's what this group is about?!"

Luce wilted.

Fon looked at a bored Colonello.

"Why aren't you mad?" he asked.

"Easy. I plan to point Hermione at the pacifier I found in one of my vaults and tell her to find an alternative to it so we don't end up cursed. Like hell am I going to let the woman I intend to marry end up a freaking toddler for the rest of her life because some god was too lazy to do things right and went the pure blood route with a solution."

Verde pushed his glasses up at that.

"What's the pure blood route?" he asked.

"Throw whatever works the first time without any major side effects and call it a solution without bothering to find any alternatives afterwards," deadpanned Colonello. "I bet you anything your 'employer' only bothered to find something that worked without collapsing and never bothered to find anything better after because he was too lazy."

Verde looked visibly appalled at such an idea. Then again he was a scientist.

"Hell I would be shocked if you ended up paired to Hermione after, because she's just as crazy as you are about research. Good luck getting rid of those stupid rose colored glasses of hers though," said Colonello cheerfully.

He was not above pairing a girl he had always considered his sister next to Luna with someone who might actually be able to keep up with her.

* * *

Fon was giving Lal an amused look when she raced to the bathroom to puke her guts out when he brought in an herb he knew was quite pungent to sensitive noses. It was usually brought out to confirm a werewolf near the full moon for security measures, but it also had another use.

"I had a feeling, but this only confirms my suspicions."

"What suspicions?" demanded Lal.

"You're pregnant."

Lal paled.

"What?!"

"Well you two haven't exactly be abstaining from sleeping with each other since Colonello can keep everyone from hearing it and you generally take a shower in the morning anyway..." said Fon amused.

Lal thought back, and was already hyperventilating. She _was_ two weeks off her usual schedule for that sort of thing. Just to be sure she discreetly bought a test and damn near cold-cocked her student when it came back positive.

"You damn idiot... you got me knocked up!" she hissed at him.

"You're pregnant? That explains a few things," commented Renato, who quickly held up his hands in 'surrender' when he realized her eyes were starting to glow an almost purple-indigo color.

Colonello looked like the news had caught him completely flat footed. Then again he should have expected this to happen sometime soon anyway with the fact they were already sleeping together.

"What do you want to do?" he asked Lal seriously. "Considering this is _your_ body we're talking about, I'll follow through with whatever you decide, but if you do go through with it I swear on my honor I'll help take responsibility for it."

Lal could tell he was dead serious about that, which eased some of her annoyance with him. Some men, once they were given the knowledge they were about to become fathers reacted the wrong way.

Colonello however was not only worried about the kid, but how the _mother_ would react as well.

Lal huffed to herself.

"First off I'm keeping the kid. While I understand some women can't handle the weight of having kids or are more interested in themselves, there's no way I'm going to get rid of it. Second, I expect you to make our next date extra special if you expect to get any ever again from me," she said flatly.

Colonello grinned.

"Can do, kora!"

That gave him plenty of time to find a ring that would suit Lal perfectly to propose with...though if Molly asked, he proposed _before_ she found out she was pregnant.

Lal waited until no one was in ear shot before she delivered the second condition.

"I expect a big wedding. Not a media circus, but an actual church wedding with all the bells and whistles."

"...Does it have to be indoor, or can we have a massive outdoor church with the twins supplying the decorations?"

Lal had seen the twins work...that meant the decorations would be beautiful _and_ entertaining.

"We can do outdoor, but there had better be a proper priest."

"You do realize I'm a devout follower of Loki, but we can do a normal priest. I'm sure we can find someone willing to do it."

"Just so long as it's _official,"_ said Lal firmly. She didn't care what sort of priest it was so long as it was legal and binding under the law.

It was one of her more well hidden secrets...she had always wanted a big fancy wedding like any other girl, even if she was a major tomboy. Kids she was still iffy about, but if she was going to get married it would be to someone she knew damn well would take care of her and never falter when it came to loyalty.

Whenever they were out on a date, she had seen plenty of girls more attractive than she was, or had more curves. Colonello _never_ even looked twice at them, always keeping his full attention on the woman in his arms. If anything he seemed to roll his eyes at the fools who thought wearing less or having bigger busts made them more attractive.

"Well I'm sure Ginny and Luna would love to help you prepare for it."

Lal flushed, but at least she knew she would have a...memorable... look if Luna was also going to be in charge. It was the ex-girlfriend that she was leery of.

Most women didn't take it well when their rich boyfriend moved on, even if Ginny was married now.

"I suppose we'll be making a trip to England then?" asked Viper.

"I would say do it in Italy, if only to cut back on the potential media circus and make it a bit more difficult for unexpected and unwanted party crashers showing up. Also, it's Bring Your Own Weapon," said Colonello cheerfully.

Renato wasn't the only one to smirk at that.

"I take it you plan on giving her a few guns to shoot at anyone who pisses her off?"

"Damn straight I am! I'd rather have a wife just as capable of dealing massive amounts of damage as I am, not some wilting little girl who expects me to play hero all the damn time! That's part of the reason why I broke it off with Ginny. In her mind I'll always be the white knight to save the ickle firstie in over her head against the big bad snake."

Colonello shook his head at that, clearly tired of the idea.

"Dating anyone back in England would have come with some very annoying expectations, not the least of which would have been how quickly I could have knocked my wife up, dealing with the politics of it all, having to worry about saying or doing the wrong thing, never mind the fact everyone was far too happy to shove their noses into my business. If I had even _tried_ to get therapy for what happened in the war, it wouldn't have taken much for everyone and their grandmother to find out what was going on in my life and try to butt in."

"Sounds exhausting," commented Renato. That sounded like it's own special kind of hell, especially for a laid-back man like Colonello.

"Now add onto that fact that the English enclaves were full of sycophants and people all too happy to abuse my power, whether it was political, strength, monetary or just my fame and the fact that I had to be on guard about what the girl or her family _actually_ wanted on _top_ of worrying whether or not they actually gave a damn. If I had stuck around the odds were that I'd be married off for a political match, not love, which would have pissed me off immensely," said Colonello in disgust. Then his face turned sappy. "Which is why I fell for Lal. She never gave a crap about fame, fortune or power...she kicked my ass so often I grew to like it and never treated me differently even when she started to find out the truth."

Renato smiled at him, not smirked.

For a war hero who clearly never grew up around power or money, he clearly valued love and loyalty over politics. Marrying some girl he didn't even love was anathema to him, especially when he was expected to shoulder most of the burdens.

Lal Mirch was a fiercely independent woman who could fight her own battles, but had the sense to accept help when she needed it. She was a pragmatic person who didn't give a damn about fame, nobility, money or power, much less politics.

In short she was just about the perfect match for the love-struck blond idiot.


End file.
